Liz Kaiser, Partnership Marketing Consultant at Unique Vacations, Heidi Clarke, Director of Programmes for Sandals Foundation, Yohan Blake, Founder of YB Afraid Foundation and native Olympian, local student

The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International, continues to spearhead its three year mission of bettering the region through community, education and environmental outreach.

The Sandals Foundation elects a number of projects each year in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua, Saint Lucia and Turks and Caicos to be taken under its wings and funded through donations and fundraising events. Here’s what the Sandals Foundation has been up to recently:

Sandals Foundation Partners with Coca-Cola to Promote Physical Education in Jamaica
The Sandals Foundation and The Coca-Cola Company have joined forces to implement the “Let’s Play” physical education programme to promote and enhance physical education for more than 5,000 students across Jamaica. The project kicked off on 7 November 2012 at the Jones Town Primary School in Kingston with several local supporters including The Sandals Foundation, Jamaica’s Ministry of Education, The Wisynco Group Limited and Yohan Blake’s YB Afraid Foundation.

In keeping with The Coca-Cola Company Live Positively’s platform, which promotes an active and healthy lifestyle through play and recreation, “Let’s Play” provided two days of teacher training to 10 schools across Jamaica. As part of the curriculum, they learned a variety of physical education routines with the use of practical items such as cones, sacks, rings, balls, mats and canes. Additionally, they were also exposed to the physical and emotional benefits of exercise and methods of encouraging children to develop creativity, organisation and ingenuity.

The “Let’s Play” programme has been successfully established in several countries across Central and South America and will continue to grow with the support of the Sandals Foundation’s promise to expand the initiative to each of the Caribbean countries where the foundation operates. 

Children Across Jamaica Receive Sesame Street® “Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me” Kits and Lessons to Help with Dental Hygiene
In an effort to boost dental hygiene awareness among children in Jamaica, The Sandals Foundation’s Oral Health Project conducted free dental screenings and handed out oral health kits to 2,600 students, aged from three to five, across Jamaica. The kits, along with personal interaction with beloved Sesame Street characters, empower families with young children to make healthy choices that will have a positive impact on their oral health. Additionally, throughout September and October 2012 (Oral Health Month), the Sandals Foundation once again partnered with Great Shape! Inc. to bring the 1000 Smiles Dental Project, the world’s largest humanitarian dental outreach initiative, to Jamaica, and to provide free dental care and sealants for thousands of adults and children.

Sandals Foundation Awarded for Contribution to Dentistry in Jamaica
The Rosalie Warpeha Caribbean Institute for Strategic Planning and Research in Oral Health recently awarded the Sandals Foundation for its integration with Great Shape! Inc., which implements the ‘1000 Smiles’ programme, the world’s largest humanitarian dental outreach initiative, aimed to improve dental hygiene and oral health awareness. Over 45,000 people in Jamaica have received dental treatments in result of the ‘1000 Smiles’ programme, along with over 1,000 children who have been provided with sealants.