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PRESS RELEASE
TORONTO, ON – April 29, 2015
The Sunwing Foundation is delighted to announce that building work began last week on the charitable initiative’s first project – the funding and construction of a new, state of the art school in Trelawny, Jamaica in collaboration with Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation and Food For The Poor Canada.
Representatives from Sunwing Travel Group’s corporate head office in Toronto were joined on April 20th and April 21st by a team of volunteers from Royalton White Sands and NexusTours, (part of Sunwing Travel Group’s operation in Jamaica) to help with the construction of Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution. Also present at the build this week was internationally-acclaimed Toronto-based rapper Kardinal Offishall, whose parents are both from the island. Offishall said he “didn’t think twice” about dedicating his free time to “giving back to the place that gave so much to me” adding, “I commend Sunwing for having this as the first project for their Foundation and giving back to the community in a sincere and organic way.”
Directed by a professional building contractor, the group lent a hand with painting, undertook some heavy lifting and basic carpentry.
Part of the team from Royalton White Sands showing their support, General Manager Armando Pizzuti described the location of the Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution as being a key factor in the Foundation’s decision to make this their first project saying, “Our hotel is located in Trelawny which is where the school is also located. We wanted to ensure that the investment in Jamaica, and in particular the Parish of Trelawny, continues to grow through our support to these children some of whom have parents that work at Royalton White Sands Hotel. For us, building a school is an investment in education. Our biggest goal is that one day someone from this school will work at our hotel in the future.”
A view that was shared by Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director, Food For The Poor Canada who added, “There is so much need in Jamaica for a school like this one. Food For The Poor is delighted to partner with Sunwing Foundation to improve the quality of education in Jamaica. The Sunwing Foundation has invested US$85,000 in this project to cover the construction of the school, playground, fencing, water supply, furniture and kitchen. It was wonderful seeing how happy the children were watching the school being built and knowing that people are interested in working for them. When I walked up to the school today, they greeted me with huge hugs, it’s simply amazing.”
As well as assisting to build a brighter future for some of the island’s children, for Ms. Angela Williams, Principal of Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution, the construction of the new school building will generate a positive impact on the children’s education environment immediately. “With this new facility, we will stand a better chance in meeting the Early Childhood requirements that we could not accomplish before because we didn’t have certain things in place such as enough space for the children in class, a sick bay, proper ventilation and an adequate sink for our kitchen.”
Construction on the school is expected to be complete in time for the beginning of the new 2015/16 academic year, when the currently enrolled 75 children and three teaching staff can look forward to starting the new school year in a modern and well-appointed building. The new school will be secure and furnished with all necessary educational modules including desks, teaching materials, books, computer and printer, toys and playground equipment. Additionally, the school will include proper water sanitation equipment and kitchen facilities where hot meals can be prepared for the students.
For more information on the Sunwing Foundation, please visit www.sunwingfoundation.com
A charitable initiative established by the Hunter family, the Sunwing Foundation reflects the Sunwing Travel Group’s enduring commitment to the support and development of youth in the communities where it operates in the form of project funding and the transport of humanitarian aid. The Sunwing Foundation passes on 100% of the charitable donations it raises to the communities that need it the most, funding educational and skills development projects to provide a direct, impactful and sustainable improvement to quality of life for years to come.
About Sunwing Travel Group
One of the largest integrated travel businesses in North America, Sunwing Travel Group is comprised of Sunwing Vacations, the leading leisure tour operator in Canada; Sunwing Airlines, Canada's premier leisure airline; Signature Vacations, one of Canada's leading tour operators for all inclusive package vacations and Vacation Express, the fastest growing tour operator in the United States together with the Group’s own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Blue Diamond Resorts is the Sunwing Travel Group’s own hotel management company, an innovative organization that operates popular resort brands like Royalton Luxury Resorts, Memories, CHIC All Exclusive, and Starfish, across the Caribbean, Cuba and Mexico; while NexusTours provides destination management services to individuals, agencies, tour groups, corporate businesses and tour operators.
About Food for the Poor Canada
Food for the Poor Canada works in development and aid in the Caribbean and Latin America with a focus on Jamaica and Haiti, FFPC is an affiliated agency to Food for the Poor Inc. (USA), the largest international relief and development agency in the United States with programs of close to $1 billion dollars yearly and a 95% efficiency ratio. FFPC works with partners in the region and through 3 affiliated charities: Food for the Poor Haiti, Food for the Poor Jamaica and Food for the Poor Guyana — these organizations are in charge of project management and distribution of goods through churches, hospitals and schools, and community leaders that work directly with the poor. Please visit www.foodforthepoorcanada.com to learn more.
For all media enquiries, please contact:
Rachel Goldrick
Corporate Communications Manager
Sunwing Vacations
1-800-387-5602
media@sunwing.ca
Samantha Mahfood
Executive Director
Food for the Poor Canada
647 350 7269
samantham@foodforthepoor.com
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