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Sandals Foundation Programs to Save the Environment

May 23, 2020 by PressEditor

Sandals Foundation of Sandals Resorts and Beaches believes tomorrow is influenced by what we do today. So, it is important that we cultivate a local culture that is conscious of their collective and individual impact on the world.

“Preserving the environment is what I enjoy most in this world and the Sandals Foundation has taught me that the sky is the limit. This is our future,” said Jerlene Layne, Sandals Foundation Fishing & Game Warden.

From the deep seas to the lush forests to exotic wildlife, our unique surroundings sustain, protect and inspire us. It is the Sandals Foundation’s focus to educate communities, including fishermen, young students, and even Sandals Resorts employees, about effective conservation practices, and establish sanctuaries that will benefit generations to come.

PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Guy Harvey “Save Our Seas”

There is a powerful force surging through young generations: a wave of curiosity and concern in regards to their world. The Guy Harvey “Save Our Seas” program is catching that wave and has developed a groundbreaking school initiative that fosters an enthusiasm among Caribbean youth towards marine awareness and environmental responsibility.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Coral Conservation

The Caribbean has lost 80% of its coral coverage in recent years, and the disappearance of beaches and the collapse of the fishing industry is imminent. Due to management of the Boscobel Sanctuary in Jamaica, there was an increase in overall coral coverage by 15% (NEPA). The Foundation has also partnered with Coral Restoration Foundation and CARIBSAVE to create 2 sustainable coral nurseries within Boscobel and Blue Fields Bay Fish Sanctuary.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Marine Protection

Sandals Foundation manages two marine sanctuaries and supports an additional 4 in Jamaica, helping to protect the islands’ depleting fish stocks and strengthen the resilience of the coral reefs. The sanctuaries in Jamaica also contain coral nurseries, helping to replenish the coral reefs and increasing protection of vulnerable coastal communities. Investment in coral nurseries has expanded to St. Lucia in a 3-year partnership with CLEAR Caribbean to increase coral health Soufriere Marine Management Area and train locals in coral restoration. Over 6,000 pieces of corals have been planted.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Trees that Feed Barbados

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” That’s the heart of the Sandals Foundation partners’ goal – Trees that Feed. The Foundation is on a mission to plant fruit trees that will feed people, create jobs, and benefit the environment. The program has planted food trees in over 20 schools across Barbados.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Turtle Conservation

Partnerships with local organizations in Jamaica and Antigua have provided support to create awareness, gather data, build turtle incubators, and fund wardens and much needed patrol equipment, as well as rehabilitate beaches to help increase chances of turtle survival in the wild. Funding has come through a Foundation partnership with Island Routes which promotes seasonal turtle hatching tours.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

Boscobel Marine Sanctuary

In 2017, The Boscobel Marine Sanctuary became Jamaica’s first rotating fish sanctuary, which allows for sections to be open periodically throughout the year, increasing the benefit of the sanctuary to the surrounding communities by not only expanding its boundaries, but also allowing fishermen to benefit from better catch due to the increase in fish populations and fish biomass.

Sandals Foundation:  Preserving the Environment

GUESTS CAN GET INVOLVED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Go scuba diving at any Sandals or Beaches Resort and purchase a Sandals Foundation Dive Tag.

100% of all proceeds go towards the following environmental projects:

  • Management of Marine Sanctuaries
  • Development and Maintenance of Coral Nurseries
  • Turtle Conservation
  • Environmental Education in Local Schools
  • Invasive Species Control
  • Wetlands Conservation

Sandals Resorts and Beaches – not just relaxation and rejuvenation, but an adventure and a chance to take home happy vacation memories knowing you did something to help save the environment.

More news about Sandals.

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Filed Under: Travel & Tourism Tagged With: airlines, Caribbean, foundation, Jamaica, sandals, Sandals Foundation, The Sandals Foundation

Founder Shares Importance of The Sandals Foundation

April 18, 2020 by Newswire

Founder Adam Stewart Shares Importance of The Sandals Foundation

Founder Adam Stewart Shares Importance of The Sandals Foundation

This is who we are.

What you find inside a Sandals resort is very much outside, too. Beauty. Optimism. Gratitude. But there’s so much more “out there.”

Adam Stewart launched the Sandals Foundation 10 years ago because he grew up seeing it all, inside and out, from angles no one else has ever seen. Until now.

Maybe this isn’t the best time to enter Adam Stewart’s office. The Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International and Founder of the Sandals Foundation has just finished a marathon meeting, which was only slightly longer than the half marathon he’ll be running this weekend.

It’s 4 p.m., putting us mid-way between Adam’s partial lunch and a late dinner. Adam sips on some water to hold him over.

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” you ask.

Adam cannot deny that he’d rather be on the other side of his office door. It’s why he has reminders of “out there” in here. There’s a globe seemingly stopped mid-spin so the Caribbean islands face toward his desk. There are pictures of stunning Sandals swimming pools and golf courses and … hey, that’s Richard Branson!

But positioned closest to Adam is a row of framed 8×10 photos with a singular theme: Family. Adam’s wife and three children sit and stand in various poses a few inches away from him, all day long.

“My family adds fuel to my desire to help our island communities,” he says.

When you ask if he’s ready for this conversation, Adam’s eyes are as convincing as his voice. “Absolutely.” He takes two more sips of water while you start saying, “The 10th anniversary of the Sandals Foundation …”

Adam takes it from there.

You first have to know about my parents.

They planted the seeds for the Foundation when I was growing up here in Jamaica. But they did it very differently.

Dad (Sandals Founder and Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart) thought he needed to build a successful business in order to give. Remember, the all-inclusive industry was very young when he started in 1981 — the same year I was born. He believed if the Sandals experience surpassed expectations of guests, then more guests would come. And more guests meant he could create more jobs and meet more needs in our challenged communities. Dad thought of those people as family. That’s why he worked 20 hours a day.

Mom, on the other hand, thought you don’t need much to help people. She had the time to build houses for the poor and make nice clothing for those who couldn’t afford it. In fact, I asked her if she could watch our kids during the marathon this weekend, but she’s working for a charity called Back on the Rack in Kingston, so she can’t.

Me? I’m a hybrid of the two of them.

People didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes.

Both of my parents came from a generation that says, “When you do good things, do them quietly.”

For example, Dad would block off certain days at a Beaches Resort and bring busloads of kids from underserved areas to enjoy a little vacation and learn about tourism — he still does that. He gave any fees he earned for serving as President of Hotel Association to fishermen. He’d only hire independent drivers for airport shuttles so the resorts would be providing jobs rather than taking them away. Only recently have people known that 96 percent of the produce in the restaurants comes from local farmers. Those are the types of business decisions he’s always made to support people who need it.

I could go on and on, but Dad wouldn’t want me to.

In 2009 we decided to take it to another level.

The idea was to do what we’ve always done, but in an organized manner as “the Sandals Foundation.” For several years I’d imagined how much more we could do if we engaged several groups around our efforts:

-Resort guests who love the Caribbean and want to play a role in making it thrive — and enjoy a tax benefit.

-Corporate partners who can make a positive impact on the islands.

-Travel agents who would promote programs like Pack for a Purpose and the Reading Road Trips.

-The 14,000 Sandals team members who live in these communities.

Ten years later we’re implementing over 120 programs and projects annually. It shows that when we work together, there is no limit to the amazing things we can do.

The Foundation is unlike any other outreach organization.

What we’re doing would not work anywhere else. Not in Asia. Not in Europe. We live here, in the Caribbean. Our parents and grandparents lived here. These are our friends and families. We have never had to convince someone who works at Sandals to be a part of the Foundation’s efforts, from the wait staff to the general managers. Not once.

We’re all part of the tapestry of the islands. And the resorts and our customers become part of the tapestry as well.

Our resort guests are in a unique situation.

Ultimately, we want people to come and enjoy the beautiful places we’re so proud to call home. Touch the sand and the mountains and the ocean. But also recognize among the beauty, inside the resorts and outside, is the need for a helping hand. We invite guests to go out with our community ambassadors to experience it for themselves.

Think of the bartender who’s pouring your drink.

A $25 donation might help provide a meaningful education for her children at their local school upgraded by the Foundation’s efforts.. A $50 donation helps to purchase lifesaving equipment at a local clinic which serves our team member, community and visitors.. A $75 donation can help make the ocean more vibrant and resilient improving the livelihoods of local fishermen.. Our mantra is, “We don’t need a lot from a little. We need a little from a lot.” These seemingly small acts are literally transforming communities. I’ve seen it.

One of the coolest things we’ve been a part of …

… is healthcare for children. Sadly, without proper technology in the Caribbean, children with blood disorders and juvenile cancers are oftentimes misdiagnosed. So guest donations have allowed us to partner with SickKids. They’re now connecting highly-regarded doctors in North America with doctors on the islands through telemedicine. It’s literally saving lives.

I think about the life of a 13-year-old girl in Ocho Rios.

She was at a center for pregnant girls, which often means they’re going to be expelled from school. We’re partnering with a place that comes alongside girls to provide tutoring and parenting classes. A situation like hers cannot be the end of that girl’s journey, her dreams. She’s only 13.

Honestly, I didn’t really understand when I was younger.

Mom would pick me up from school and stop on the way home to make clothing for people. As a kid, I’d be thinking, “This is taking three hours.” But it was leaving an impression. When I went to boarding school in Boca Raton, Florida, I started to realize how much I really love the Caribbean. The food. The friendly people. The breezes blowing through homes without air conditioning. The natural beauty. But I also realized the stark contrast between privileges and the great needs in the Caribbean communities.

Mom and Dad were both right.

Mom has helped people on the frontlines for decades. Dad wanted to be an honorable businessman. He stayed in Jamaica to start a business at a time when people were leaving for places where they could make more money, more quickly. He earned trust and integrity. That’s why people in even the most rural communities know Sandals not just as a resort, but as people who passionately want to do good. I think that’s why the Foundation has been able to do so much in these first 10 years.

My son was born shortly after we started the Foundation.

It changed my perspective. And then my daughters were born, and that changed me even more. Before having kids, I could have talked with you about the purpose of the Foundation. But my children have given me a clear vision for why we’re doing this. I mean, what if my children were in the shoes of those in need?
That thought motivates me every day.

Picks up a picture of his kids.
Look how young they are here. I probably should update these pictures, but I guess it’s hard to let go.

The Stewart Family Wants You to Know:

“Every dollar donated to the Sandals Foundation goes directly to a cause. Not 50 percent or 90 percent. It’s always 100 percent. A $150 donation might help build a bathroom at a school or provide air conditioning in a hospital. A $75 donation might help local artisans or a family farm. One gift touches people in ways you cannot imagine. Because a single act of generosity reminds them that someone out there truly cares.”

To put a few dollars to work right away, go to SandalsFoundation.org and click on the “Donate Now” button. The people in our Caribbean communities say, “Thank you for providing hope and opportunities.”

 

– eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News

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Filed Under: Press Release, Travel & Tourism Tagged With: #OnBoarding, 10, Adam, foundation, Size, The Sandals Foundation, Travel

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