Hello Fiji Readers supporter! We've posted our old Hands Across the Sea Charitable Partners page below to give you a general idea of how our child literacy work was funded. Please note that links in this webpage are not live.
From Local Rotarians to Multinational Corporations
There are companies, foundations, and organizations that think like we do—that all children should have access to new amazing books and lending libraries, and that gains in child literacy should be sustained. AT Hands Across the Sea we worked with hands-on local groups, including chapters of Rotary International and grass-roots island nonprofits, and we received funding from foundations and companies (below) that believe building a brighter future for children is an excellent investment. We also receivee tremendous support from a number of private foundations that wished to remain quietly in the background.
Sandals Foundation
The Sandals Foundation, the corporate responsibility arm of legendary Sandals Resorts, accomplishes a tremendous amount of good in the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation brings medical assistance to those in need, is a leading light in environmental programs, and makes all sorts of community and educational programs possible in disadvantaged areas. In their initial partnering with Hands, the Sandals Foundation adopted six St. Lucia schools of our 2013-2014 Hands Wish Lists with outstanding funding for much-needed brand new books and metal library shelving (termite proof!). Every year since, the Sandals Foundation has supported more and more schools across St. Lucia, Antigua, and Grenada.
FirstCaribbean Foundation
“We are serious about responding to the needs of the communities we serve and are committed to giving back to our Caribbean brothers and sisters in tangible ways,” says CIBC FirstCaribbean. “Since 2002, the FirstCaribbean Foundation, the governing body for our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, has allocated substantial funding to community-related causes in the Caribbean region. We have been backed by world-class employees who have given their all to ensure that the needs of recipients for each cause are met. Through the FirstCaribbean Foundation, we ensure that vital funding reaches important causes, which contributes to the social health of the Caribbean.” Hands Across the Sea is proud to partner with the FirstCaribbean Foundation in the cause of child literacy.
Mill Reef Fund
Established in 1948, the Mill Reef Fund has supported countless medical, educational, general welfare, and religious institutions on Antigua and Barbuda. At the moment, Mill Reef Fund is assisting over 40 great causes—including child literacy and the creation of school libraries through Hands Across the Sea—by adopting the majority of schools on every year's Hands Wish Lists and supporting the Hands Literacy Link on Antigua to ensure project sustainability. Mill Reef Fund is a caring, dedicated group of people who are devoted to positive change, and the key support they're giving to Hands and child literacy is making difference in the lives of thousands of children on Antigua.
Rosalie Bay Resort
Dominica’s Rosalie Bay Resort, perched on the verdant southeast seacoast of the island, is a haven for endangered sea turtles and ecology-minded, luxury-seeking world travelers (National Geographic has recognized Rosalie Bay with its "Unique Lodges of the World" award). Rosalie Bay is also the island's leading advocate of child literacy—over the years, generous funding from the resort’s owners has made it possible for Hands to ship thousands of great new books to over a dozen schools, reading programs, and after-school youth groups on Dominica. In many schools, support from Rosalie Bay has ensured that the lending libraries established by U.S. Peace Corps Volunteers and Hands have become sustainable—an integral, vital part of schools. Rosalie Bay’s impact on child literacy in Dominica is deep, wide, and long-lasting.
Wishing Well, Inc.
An Antigua-registered charity dedicated to helping underprivileged children and adults on the island, Wishing Well Inc. was founded by the St. James's Club and The Verandah Resort & Spa, two prominent Antigua resorts. Working with government ministries and social welfare organizations to serve those most in need, Wishing Well assists a wide variety of educational and medical causes, from a Breakfast Programme for secondary school students, a back-to-school backpack initiative, and a Christmas Cheer Programme for individuals and families during the holiday season, to support for persons facing medical challenges, including patients in need of at-home support. As a Hands partner, Wishing Well has adopted a number of schools, funding new books and lending libraries to raise child literacy levels in a sustainable fashion.
Christophe Harbour Foundation
On the island of St. Kitts there's a new luxury residential resort development, Christophe Harbour, taking shape: a 300-acre marina, mega yacht harbor, 18-hole golf course, beautiful homes and villas—and a companion foundation dedicated to community outreach (conservation, education, recreation, cultural, historical, and social development projects) in St. Kitts. The Christophe Harbour Foundation is the leading supporter of child literacy, through Hands Across the Sea, on the island. Funding from the Christophe Harbour Foundation has allowed Hands to get great new books into the hands of thousands of children at primary schools and secondary schools on St. Kitts.
Palm Island & Galley Bay Resorts
Rightly famous as two ultimate Caribbean hideaways, Palm Island Resort (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) and Galley Bay Resort & Spa (Antigua) are becoming known for their dedication to improving child literacy, too. From the 2013/2014 Hands Wish Lists Palm Island Resort adopted two primary schools on nearby Union Island (one of them a 2013/2013 Literacy Award winner), while Galley Bay Resort & Spa adopted a primary school just a mile away. With their support, Hands was able to send brand new books to all three schools—prompting one school to create their first-ever library! The donation reached 810 students, from kindergarten through grade 6. Both resorts continue to support child literacy by rejuvenating school libraries every year..
American Sailing Association
Would you enter a sweepstakes where the prize is a one-week sailing charter in the Caribbean or a week's stay at a world-class Caribbean resort? In the annual American Sailing Association (ASA)/Hands Sweeepstakes, many folks donate to Hands with an eye to such awesome prizes. “The Caribbean is a gift to sailors and the sailing industry, so we are proud to support Hands Across the Sea’s goal of improving literacy levels in the Caribbean,” says Charlie Nobles, executive director of the ASA. The ASA, the leader in U.S. sailing education for three decades, has grown to include an international network of over 300 professionally accredited sailing schools. Over 400,000 students have learned to sail through ASA since 1983.
Mustique Charitable Foundation
Headquartered in New York City, this U.S. nonprofit undertakes a tremendous number of projects each year to fulfill its mission statement: “To help those who are in need in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.” Recent success stories include life-changing programs in healthcare—ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, pediatric urology and scoliosis—and scholarships for young students in technical, vocational, and medical education. Mustique Charitable Foundation also funds new books from Hands Across the Sea and supports the Hands child literacy program, including Remedial Reading Toolkits for high school students who are reading below grade level and Hands Literacy Links who provide training to teachers about effective library use.
SeaDream Yacht Club
Aboard SeaDream Yacht Club's cruise ships, they believe in supporting a good cause, and they're walking the talk. During the ship's Caribbean-to-Atlantic crossings, guests and crew walk laps around Deck 6 to burn off the ship's renowned chocolate croissants. Sixteen laps equals one mile, and the walkers donate to a charity selected by SeaDream—and SeaDream generously matches the donations. All that walking has supported great new books and the creation/rejuvenation of Hands Across the Sea lending libraries at schools on St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Grenada! But it's not all work. Noting the extraordinary level of luxury and attention lavished on SeaDream guests, Forbes Life declared SeaDream Yacht Club "The best small luxury cruise ship of 2015."
BodyHoliday Saint Lucia
BodyHoliday St. Lucia is a secluded slice of paradise on Cariblue Beach near the northern tip of St. Lucia. Their social responsibility program, BodyHoliday Cares, says, "Our activities span initiatives that help enhance success in education, facilitate renovations, and help the institutions who serve our causes achieve some important goals. The objective is to be able to help in a meaningful way, that transforms longstanding situations so that individuals and institutions can experience the intended relief." BodyHoliday Saint Lucia is working with Hands to create/rejuvenate lending libraries at schools across St. Lucia.
