[dropcap]M[/dropcap]onths of planning will culminate at Pigeon Point this evening when the Sandals Foundation will stage the first-ever Saint Lucian edition of Vibes on the Island. Although the activities will be delivered in the spirit of fun and good cheer, the event is steeped in generosity, operating with the primary premise of raising funds for The Salvation Army Child Care Centre and the Faces of Cancer support groups.
The Salvation Army Child Care Centre is located in Central Castries and serves as an affordable safe space for the daily care of young children of single-parent and disadvantaged families. Advisory board Chairman, Mr. Malcolm Burns, on behalf of the institution, spoke at the Vibes on the Island press launch on Wednesday: “As far as the Salvation Army is concerned, we are deeply grateful for the efforts of the Sandals Foundation. Our pre-school operates at a loss because we pitch our fees to suit the clientele we are trying to service—underserved and disadvantaged members of our community.”
Faces of Cancer Founder Dorothy Phillip also took the opportunity on Wednesday to thank the Sandals Foundation for choosing the organisation as a beneficiary and to extend an invitation to all Saint Lucians. “We are a group of cancer survivors here at Faces of Cancer,” she said. “We want to give back to people going through the same process we went through. No one at Faces of Cancer gets a salary, it’s all voluntary. But most of the work we do involves expenses. It is becoming extremely difficult to fund-raise, keeping in mind Saint Lucia’s economic situation. We fully understand the difficulties businesses face.”
Proceeds from tonight’s event will go towards building a new conference space for the support group. Phillip continued: “At present our office is very small, it cannot hold the entire membership. We see people only on a one-on-one basis.”
In addition to providing health fairs and financial support to cancer patients, the group’s organisers want to intensify the educational arm of their support and believe a larger conference space will serve them well.
As for tonight’s entertainment, reggae maestro Barrington Levy, dancehall queen of the day Spice, and local soca giants Superman HD, Ezra De Fun Machine, Sedale Semi, King Arthur, DJ Sir Lancealot, DJ Hyper D and the DYP Band will be on hand to fire up the stage!
The event is scheduled to kick off at 8:00 p.m.
