Nassau, Bahamas - After a two week humanitarian
drive, employees of CIBC FirstCaribbean collected over 20 boxes of
canned food items, toys, clothing, shoes, baby supplies, and books for
those in need. CIBC FirstCaribbean teamed up with the Bahamas Urban
Youth Development Centre (BUYDC) for the charity organisation’s annual
food and fund drive.
For two weeks in December CIBC
FirstCaribbean Bahamas and its affiliates CIBC FirstCaribbean Private
Wealth Management and CIBC Trust (Bahamas) hosted collection boxes in
all of their Nassau units for employees to donate essential items for
distribution. In addition, the bank donated cases of ham and turkey to
brighten up the Christmas dinners of those in need.
Brent
Haines, Centre Manager for the newly launched Private Wealth Management
unit, stated that the bank encourages a culture of philanthropy and is
happy to see the employees embrace and reflect that.
“Employees
from all of our units in the Bahamas have enthusiastically contributed
to this effort,” said Mr. Hanes. “In all of our philanthropic
endeavours, we strive to make it more than a monetary gift, and to get
the staff involved. This year, CIBC FirstCaribbean employees responded
to that call in top fashion.”
Dan Wright, Chairman of
CIBC Trust echoed Mr. Hanes stating that this drive was part of a larger
CIBC mandate to give back. “CIBC understands how important it is to
give back to the communities in which we all live and work. This
donation is an example of our commitment to do just that. This is a very
special time of year for all of us and the staff here sees it as a
perfect opportunity to share with others who may not be as fortunate.”
The
various goods collected by CIBC FirstCaribbean were distributed at the
annual Hope for the Holidays fair held at Christie Park. At the event,
BUYDC provided 500 hot meals to registered attendees and created a
festive atmosphere complete with a DJ, a performance by the Urban
Renewal Band, a bouncing castle, and lots of other activities for the
children.
Prodesta Moore, President of the Bahamas Urban
Youth Development Centre, stated that though the event is still in
rather early days, she is excited to have the corporate support and
looks forward to seeing the event and the Centre grow.
“This
is only our second year hosting the Hope for the Holidays drive and
event and we are very excited because it is the first year we have had
corporate sponsors like CIBC FirstCaribbean come on board to help us,”
said Mrs. Moore. “When we sent out the call for assistance and CIBC
responded we were thrilled. They have done an excellent job, collecting a
phenomenal number of items. I would say the amount they collected will
provide for gifts and groceries to over 100 families!.”
The
Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre is a non-profit organisation
aimed at helping Bahamian youth make healthy, safe choices regarding
sexual activity. BUYDC provides HIV/AIDS prevention skills and tools to
prevent unwanted pregnancies and STIs to middle and high school
students.
Recently BUYDC has targeted most-at-risk populations, particularly
female adolescent girls, young women who engage in transactional sex,
and female sex workers.