Viceroy Anguilla has entered a one-year partnership to fund, promote and enhance the work of the Red Cross on the island. The arrangement was announced on Monday, June 3, by Gilda Gumbs-Samuel, Executive Director of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, Ricky Rouphine, Coordinator of the Red Cross, and Richard Alexander, General Manager of the resort.
“We are really delighted that Viceroy Anguilla has stepped up to the plate once again and is supporting the AHTA and the Red Cross,” Mrs.Gumbs-Samuel said. “It dawned on me that when we go to big events, you never see any medical assistance. We were happy to have received a request fromMr.Rouphine who came to look for assistance. The AHTA couldn’t do it on our own so we had to reach out to our partners and Viceroy expressed its willingness to assist.
“The idea is for Viceroy and the AHTA to support the Anguillian community and the Red Cross. Every time there is a big event like Festival Del Mar, the Summer Festival, a Fun Walk and so on, the Red Cross bus will be there with a banner displaying the partnership and ready to provide any needed assistance in a timely manner. Viceroy has funded this initiative for one year to assist the Red Cross to employ staff and purchase supplies in case of an emergency.”
Mr.Rouphine explained that the Red Cross was working towards developing a culture of safety in the community. “One of the ways is to have the delivery of first aid at all public events when necessary,” he went on. “Often, a life can be saved within the first 15-20 minutes of any given situation and we need to there to be able to promote a culture of safety to our residents and visitors. No one would like to hear that something happens somewhere, and because of the lack of basic first aid someone loses her or her life. That would be bad for our community and moreover for our tourism if visitors are involved and we cannot help them.”
Mr.Rouphine said volunteers would be trained in basic first aid and life-saving skills to enhance the work of the Red Cross in Anguilla. “We are grateful to Viceroy for sponsoring our initiative to the tune of EC$5,000. That will enable us to buy supplies, to employ volunteers and to provide basic refreshments for them over an extended time of the voluntary work. We are also grateful to Viceroy which, for the past four years, has been sending its staff to have training in First Aid work. We think it is a partnership that can be developed and one that will provide a lot of good for Viceroy and us.”
Mr. Alexander was pleased with Viceroy’s involvement in the voluntary service. “When we were approached by the AHTA several weeks to help to support the Red Cross, we absolutely jumped at the opportunity,” Viceroy’s General Manager stated. “It is a very, very worthwhile cause – and there was no hesitation in supporting the AHTA with funds so that it could be well-represented at various activities around Anguilla. We think it is a small price to pay for health and safety which we feel is an extremely important aspect of any event that is taking place. Our partnership is for one year, and definitely we will be considering continuing that partnership in 2014.”
