PRESS RELEASE – ORGANIZERS of the 19th annual Pinehill Walk, last week fulfilled their commitment to donating part of the proceeds from this year’s event to the World Pediatric Project and the St Lucia Blind Welfare Association.
The event, which has grown significantly over the years, is now hailed as one of the largest participatory sporting events held here on island.
Promoting healthy lifestyles among participants, the Pinehill Walk, extended its reach a few years ago, to contributing proceeds to local charitable organizations.
This year, the Pinehill Walk was held on Sunday August 12, 2018 with a theme “Be part of the movement- Let’s create healthy habits.” The walk drew more than four thousand participants, from Vigie in Castries to Pigeon Point in Gros Islet.
At the finish point, participants were not only presented with medals, but were engaged in a health fair put on by Pinehill and other partners, promoting Healthy Lifestyles.
Last Tuesday December 11, 2018, a short presentation ceremony to the two recipients of proceeds from the walk was held at the offices of Peter & Company Distribution (PCD), distributors of Pinehill Juices and Milk here in Saint Lucia.
The deserving organizations were the World Pediatric Project and the St Lucia Blind Welfare Association.
The World Pediatric Project comprises a large group of experienced medical doctors who periodically visit Saint Lucia to assist critically ill children in need of life changing surgeries. Most of these are done in the United States of America.
In partnership with the Ministry of Health here, the WPP provides advanced surgical and diagnostic care to Saint Lucian children up to the age of twenty-one.
The Saint Lucia Blind Welfare Association (SLBWA) which was established here in 1972 is an organization which over the years has been involved in running a school for the blind.
The organization has also been involved in offering services directed towards persons living with blindness, low vision or other forms of visual impairments in Saint Lucia.
The SLBWA offers an eye clinic to the general public as well as a low cost eyeglasses lab.
Speaking to this year’s walk, Krystal Francois Brand Manager for Pinehill said that despite some of the challenges this year, including coming up against another large event, the Pinehill walk was indeed a success.
“And once again we have been able to fulfill our commitment to making this timely donation to the World Pediatric Project and the St Lucia Blind Welfare association,” she went on to say.
“I would also like to add that this would not be possible without the commitment of our sponsors as well as the thousands who took part in the walk and to them I would like to express my special thanks.”
The success of the walk the Pinehill Brand Manager stressed would not have been possible too, without volunteers and staff.
The total of the check presented to the gracious representatives of the World Pediatric Project and the St Lucia Blind Welfare Association was EC$10,000.