The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International is proud to partner with Hasbro, Inc., one of the world’s leading toy manufacturers and valued partner for Beaches Resorts, for their annual Holiday Toy Drive, delivering toys and smiles to underprivileged boys and girls throughout the Caribbean this holiday season. Bringing the “gift of play” to underserved children in community centers, orphanages, adopted schools and children’s homes across five islands, Hasbro, Inc. and The Sandals Foundation have launched this year’s Holiday Triple “Play” campaign. With any donation of $10 or more to the Sandals Foundation Holiday Triple “Play” Toy Drive, Sandals Resorts International will match this financial contribution and Hasbro will also donate a toy – growing the gifting three-fold. Additionally, the funds raised this year will go to purchase brand new toys from Hasbro at reduced prices for children in the communities.

Founder and President of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, Adam Stewart, stated “We are so blown away by the generosity of Hasbro in working with us on this year's Holiday Toy Drive.  You couldn't ask for a better, truer partner when it comes to reaching children in need and making their wishes come true.  Because of their commitment to this program, together, we will be able to provide brand new toys making it an unbelievable Christmas for thousands of undeserved boys and girls living in the Caribbean.”

The Holiday Toy Drive plans to reach a quota of 10,000 new toys to be delivered to impoverished children across the Caribbean where the Sandals Foundation actively engages in bettering the lives of less fortunate communities. The toys are sure warm the hearts of the many families facing financial hardship this year.

To participate in the Holiday Triple Play Toy Drive, log on to www.sandalsfoundation.org to make a tax deductible contribution or mail a check or gift card in the amount of your choice, to: Holiday Toy Drive, c/o Unique Vacations Inc., 4950 S.W. 72nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33155 by December 15, 2011.

The Sandals Foundation is 501 (c) (3) a nonprofit organization rooted in three decades of community service and has helped change the lives of thousands and continues to make the region a better place every day. The Foundation’s mission is to harness the resources, talents, partnerships and awareness behind the Sandals Resorts International’s brands to tackle a myriad of issues affecting the Caribbean under three broad headings: community, education and the environment.

Sandals Resorts, in conjunction with The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International (SRI), has launched Reading Road Trip, the resort company’s first official voluntourism program. Reading Road Trip is a volunteer literacy program aimed at improving listening, reading and comprehension skills of local children between the ages of 5 and 7 and expands on programming developed by the Sandals Foundation through their school adoption policy.  Available to all guests of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts ages 8 and up, Reading Road Trip is a two-hour program that takes guests into the community to one of the Foundation’s participating adopted basic and primary schools in Saint Lucia, Antigua, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos or Jamaica to engage small groups of children in active reading strategies. Staff will be on hand to guide participants on how to engage and encourage children. 

“The chance to ‘give back’ has been a customer request for some time, so we are thrilled to finally be able to offer our guests the opportunity to take part in the work we consider so vitally important,” said Sandals Resorts International CEO and Sandals Foundation President, Adam Stewart.  

Reading Road Trip is offered every Thursday from 9am until 11am when schools are in session, September through mid-June.  The cost is US$20 per person, which covers round-trip transportation and all supplies.  Children 8-12 can participate at no cost and all minors must be accompanied by an adult.  Volunteers are encouraged to bring along a favorite new or gently-used book to donate to the library of the school they visit.

Guests at select Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts can now literally light up the Caribbean sky with the release of awe-inspiring sky lanterns through a new Sandals Foundation initiative known as a “Celebration of Caring”.  Created by the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, the program was developed as a creative means to raise money for local community, environmental and education programs. Guests can purchase an elegant paper sky lantern, all of which are environmentally-friendly, for $10 US; they are then invited to join a mass “Celebration of Caring” sky lantern release at a dedicated times and locations weekly at each resort.  

Heidi Clarke, Director of Programs for the Sandals Foundation, explained “the Sandals Foundation coined this initiative to provide guests with an opportunity to give back through a beautiful gesture.  The program has really taken off with guests eager to get their hands on these unique lanterns and they have been raving about the experience afterward.”  

The “Celebration of Caring” initiative launched two weeks ago at Sandals Whitehouse European Village & Spa and has since released nearly 160 sky lanterns into the atmosphere.  Resort guests, Kim Anderson and Peter Broughall, who participated in a sky lantern release event, noted “the Sandals Foundation has created a wonderful experience while raising money for a great cause.” Other guests, including John and Sharla McBride, were deeply touched by the gesture and said, “not only did the lanterns light up the sky, they utterly lit up our hearts for the children who benefit from the foundation.”

Most recently, the “Celebration of Caring” has expanded to Jamaica’s north coast, where guests of both Beaches Boscobel Resort & Golf Club and Sandals Grand Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort can now participate in the fundraiser. Thus far, close to $2,500 US has been raised for charity through this initiative.

I wanted to share this with you as the Sandals Foundation is making a difference!

Pre-schoolers from Tambearly School and The Meridian School in Nassau Bahamas hosted a St. Jude Trike-A-Thon the week of January 24 in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. A tradition for more than 25 years, Trike-A-Thon is a fun, week-long curriculum for daycare centers and pre-schools and was fully sponsored by the Sandals Foundation this year. Children learn and showcase their riding-toy safety lessons and raise funds for the hospital. The community was able to sponsor children in Trike-A-Thon by pledging an amount-per-lap the kids ride or make a one-time donation. “Every child saved at St. Jude means children saved around the world - a direct result of cutting-edge research and treatment that set the standard in treating deadly childhood diseases,” said Alice Langford, Principal of Tambearly School. “Through events like Trike-A-Thon, children in The Bahamas can support the St. Jude mission of finding cures and saving children everywhere.” In 2010, St. Jude was ranked the most trusted charity in the United States and was also named the top children’s cancer hospital in the 2010-11 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings published by U.S. News & World Report.

The Sandals Foundation has once again spearheaded a successful Holiday Toy Drive, guided by its commitment to bringing holiday cheer to those less fortunate throughout the Caribbean.  Team members, guests and travel partners from Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and Sandals, Beaches and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts across Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, and the Turks & Caicos Islands brought smiles to the faces of over 10,000 children living within these regions.

Over 60 Holiday Treats were hosted across the region with scores of hotel team members and guests assisting “Santa” in visiting the local-area hospitals, communities, schools and infirmaries to distribute the toys to the children, host patients to festive luncheons, provide entertainment, and donate much needed items to those in critical need. 

Thank you to all who helped us make this possible!

Cheers,

Gina

We are once again kicking off the Sandals Foundation Holiday Toy Drive to distribute new toys to needy children across the Caribbean in time for the Holidays! Last year, we were fortunate to deliver 10,000 toys to boys and girls and we're counting on your support to help us in this cause that is dear to all of our hearts!

This year, we are launching the Toy Drive early to give us plenty of time to go out to all potential donors and raise needed funds so we can buy even more toys than we did last year.                                    

Guests at any Sandals, Beaches or Grand Pineapple Beach Resort will be invited to bring an unwrapped toy when they travel to our resorts on vacation or you can travel lightly and donate at any revenue collection location on property.  On resort collections will be accepted through December 25th. 

Donations are much appreciated!

Cheers,

Gina

I’m so excited to share an article with you all from  “Sandals Says”. Enjoy!

Uniting for a good cause, celebrities showed their support for The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, during the 1^stAnnual Sandals Celebrity Golf Tournament April 8 – 11 at the Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club at the all new Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas.  Hosted by Access Hollywood & Maria Menounos, the inaugural event garnered an impressive gathering of celebrities, including: TV personality Maria Menounos; The Bachelor’s newest husband-and-wife Jason & Molly Mesnick; Bravo’s hottest housewife Kelly Bensimon; 90210’s Tristan Wilds; Aimee Garcia; Desperate Housewives’ Jesse Metcalfe; Olympian Julia Mancuso; Antonio Sabato, Jr.; Roxy Olin; Brittany Snow; and Ryan Rottman.  

“We are thrilled to have launched the 1^stAnnual Sandals Celebrity Golf Tournament at Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club, “said Sandals Resorts CEO, Adam  Stewart.  “I have never seen a golf course offer such dramatic vistas at every turn, Greg Norman did a truly masterful job of designing it. It was a pleasure for our celebrity guests to experience the course and our incredible new resort first-hand.”

The four-day Luxury Included® weekend tee-d off with a golf pairing cocktail party and chic poolside lounge party on Friday..  The main event began early Saturday morning, with a lavish al fresco breakfast, then the golf tournament at Sandals Emerald Reef Golf Club, showcasing the oceanside 18-hole championship course designed by Greg Norman. The celeb-golfers finished the day with a Bahamian-themed beach party and decadent dessert buffet and awards ceremony.  

On Sunday, Sandals’ CEO Adam Stewart, Access Hollywood, Maria Menounos and Jason & Molly Mesnick headed out on an Island Routes excursion to visit the famous swimming pigs of the Exumas. Following the truly unique experience, Adam hosted the celebrity guests on his private boat for a final afternoon of leisure in the water’s surrounding the magnificent Sandals Emerald Bay.   

All celebrities received a Sandals Resorts gift bag filled with goodies, featuring amenity items from sponsors including:  Sandals Lifestyle, Vera Bradley, Scratch DJ Academy, TaylorMade, Dermalogica, Pirate’s Booty, Adidas, Greg Norman Collection, Stanley Tools, Barbara’s Way and American Airlines

Beyond the glitz and glamour, the 1^stAnnual Sandals Celebrity Golf Tournament was held to benefit The Sandals Foundation, which recently celebrated its one year anniversary.  Guests of Sandals Emerald Bay who made a minimum donation to the Sandals Foundation received exclusive access to all of the weekend’s star-studded events and the opportunity to play with their favorite stars.  The Sandals Foundation seeks to harness the resources, talents, partnerships and awareness behind the Sandals Resorts brand to tackle a myriad of issues affecting the Caribbean under three broad headings: community, education, and environment.

After working on their swing, celebrities enjoyed Sandals Emerald Bay’s Luxury Included® amenities.  A 500-acre beachfront resort set on Great Exuma, one of the Bahamas’ most beautiful Out Islands, Sandals Emerald Bay is the fourteenth Sandals Resort and, expanding on the company’s Luxury Included® concept, the first to offer a championship, Greg Norman-designed golf course, world-class marina and professionally-trained butlers in all 183 plush rooms and suites.  The new Sandals Emerald Bay also features gourmet dining in a choice of five à la carte restaurants, premium brand wine and spirits, land and watersports, including scuba diving for certified divers, gratuities and airport transfers.  Additionally, the resort boasts an exclusive Red Lane® Spa, featuring 17 treatment rooms, offering premier services that embrace the best of the Caribbean region.

Wishing you all a great week!

Gina

Quote of the week:

“If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.”
St. Clement of Alexandra