FREEPORT, Grand Bahama — The Grand Bahama Children’s Home (GBCH) and Bahamas Red Cross Freeport Centre each received donations of $7,500 from CHANCES GAMES, the webshop enterprise operated by Jarol Investments Ltd., on Monday, February 17, 2020.
The presentations were made at Chances headquarters on Logwood Road by Chances Marketing Manager Karen Wilson, who revealed that the $7,500 presented to the Children’s Home will go towards the purchase of a bus and the Red Cross’s donation will be used to assist their ongoing feeding programmes.
The donations by CHANCES — owned by Grand Bahama businessman R. H. Culmer, CEO of Jarol Investments Ltd — are in keeping with numerous similar donations CHANCES has made over the years to various charities and organizations throughout The Bahamas. In addition to Grand Bahama, CHANCES has gaming outlets in New Providence and several other major islands of The Bahamas.
In making the presentations, Chances Marketing Manager Wilson said that, particularly after the hurricane, Mr. Culmer “feels the need to give back,” but added: “This is something that we normally do; every month we deal with donations to give back to the society,” according to a report in The Freeport News.
GBCH Executive Director Sheila Johnson-Smith, who accepted the donation on behalf of the Children’s Home, expressed appreciation for Chances/Jarol Investments continuous support throughout the years.
“This morning we are so grateful and appreciative to Mr. and Mrs. Culmer of Jarol Investments,” she said, adding that there have been times when the GBCH did not know where it would get funding and the Culmers have often come through for them.
“They have been amazing supporters of the Children’s Home,” Ms. Johnson-Smith said.
According to Johnson-Smith, the donation would go a long way in rebuilding the Home’s facilities in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, which caused catastrophic damages in Grand Bahama and Abaco, two northern islands of The Bahamas, the first week of last September.
“We have lost everything, including the bus to transport children to and from school, clinics and so forth,” she said.
She said the structure of the Children’s Home building is sound, but the contents are a total loss. “The children lost everything from clothing to toothbrushes to books and toys,” she said. “The Home, itself, lost all its possessions as well – fridges, stoves, freezers, sofas and more. As a result, the children have been moved to another Home on a different island until we can restore the Grand Bahama Children’s Home.”
She recalled that they reached out to Chances after the storm, despite having recently received a donation from them, and their request was answered. She described the most recent donation as a testament to the Culmers’ love and dedication to the people of Grand Bahama.
Johnson-Smith noted that since the hurricane, the minor residents of the Home had to be transported to three different residential facilities in Nassau. Thirty-two children — 12 girls and 20 boys, ranging in ages from three months to 14 years — had to be bundled up and evacuated to a shelter late at night, in the middle of the storm, as floodwaters rose around them at an alarming rate.
“Thankfully everyone made it to safety,” said Johnson-Smith.
She added that the challenge now is space, as displaced children from Abaco are also being accommodated at the Nassau facilities.
“The spacing is very tight in Nassau and some siblings had to be separated; however, we’re grateful for what they’ve done for our children,” said Johnson-Smith.
Noting that their maintenance supervisor recently visited the children in Nassau and many of them expressed wanting to return to the GBCH, Johnson-Smith said, “He came back very distraught, because the kids were crying and asking did he come to get them. So, that was very painful for us who love these children.”
Johnson-Smith stated that the Home has become a symbol of the rebuilding of Grand Bahama, and many people are asking when the children would return.
She said the Home’s reconstruction should be completed by March 30, 2020, and appealed to members of the public, particularly the corporate community, to assist the Home during the rebuilding process.
“We still have our children together, and we still want our children to come home. The children want to come home,” she stressed.
Bahamas Red Cross Administrator Stephanie Barr revealed that the donation will go towards purchasing a vehicle for their ‘Meals on Wheels’ Programme. The organization’s vehicle was damaged in the storm.
“We’re eternally grateful to Jarol Investments and Mr. And Mrs. Culmer,” she said.
