THE Sandals Foundation has provided close to EC$12,000 in funding for Tiger Tennis challenge – a sporting initiative that emphasises youth empowerment through education, discipline, and dedication to sportsmanship on and off the courts.
This initiative which has been in operation for the past three years will see to the provision of tennis lessons and life coaching being made available to approximately 150 children from schools in and around Castries from March to July.
The schools currently taking part in the initiative are: Canon Laurie Anglican Primary School, Gordon Walcott Memorial Methodist School, Morne Du Don Primary and Vide Bouteille Primary School.
Coordinator of the event, SirseanArlain said: “We teach the importance of understanding the balance among sports, education, discipline and personal development in order to be successful throughout life and become positive contributing members of society,”
The Sandals Foundation’s funding will go towards the overall execution of the programme including but not limited to coaching, and the purchasing of equipment and uniforms.
Public Relations Manager of Sandals, Rhonda Giraudy told members of the media that the foundation is excited to support programmes of this nature because they know that the money donated for the cause will be put to positive use with maximum results.
Giraudy said: “Facilitating programmes that provide children with skills and discipline that will benefit them and their communities is in keeping with the Sandals Foundation’s mission to uplift, engage and empower. We encourage youth to take full advantage of the opportunities that contribute to their development into well-rounded people.”
She added that there was no way in which they would allow such an opportunity to pass them by.
Lucelec has also come on board to support the cause with a $6, 000 donation.
The company’s Corporate Communications Officer, Carmy Joseph said she looks forward to seeing the young children of Wilton’s Yard and Conway perfect the sport which was once considered that of kings.
Joseph added: “Combining sport and education is something LUCELEC believes in. The opportunity that our $6,000 sponsorship will afford the students of the Morne Du Don Combined and Vide Bouteille Combined School, funding equipment to allow for participation in this programme, learning a new sport is one we applaud. The hope is to have the players from these two schools join others from the Canon Laurie Anglican Primary and Gordon and Walcott Memorial Methodist in a tournament slated for July this year.”
The Director of Sports attached to the Ministry of Sports, Jim Xavier also pledged his ministry’s support for the initiative and expressed hopes that it would expand beyond the capital and incorporate more schools in order to be more beneficial to more youngsters.
The programme, which caters to boys and girls between the ages of eight and 14-years-old, will fall in line with the International Tennis Number (ITN) system that will further allow the participants to pursue the sport on an international level.
“We intend to use it to raise the overall standard of play and bring more participants into the game,” Arlain said.
