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Last Updated: Feb 6, 2017 - 2:32:04 PM |
Left to right: Kevin Tomlinson of the Grand Bahamas Youth Choir; Magnus Alnebeck, General Manager of Pelican Bay Hotel (major sponsor); Up with People Scholarship recipients, Rico Thompson, Donvarcia Duncombe, and Sharade Taylor; and Karen Clarke of Thayers Natural Remedies (major sponsor) at the Pelican Bay Hotel, Freeport, Grand Bahama Photo: The Bahamas Weekly
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Freeport, Grand
Bahama Island - Three talented young people from Grand Bahama Island
will be leaving on July 8th to travel with the
internationally renowned travel, community service and
performing arts group,
Up with People.
Donvarcia Duncombe, Rico Thompson, and Sharade Taylor were all offered
scholarships after going through the application and vetting process.
This is the first time young people from The Bahamas will travel with the group that
currently represents 21 countries. Their trip will begin in Colorado
where they will travel first within the United States of America for a
month
before heading off to Mexico and next to the Philippines.
Rico Thompson who has been seen on stage as the host and headliner of Treasure Bay Casino's weekly variety show for two
years now, worked hard to obtain funding on his own to supplement his
scholarship to travel for a full year with Up with People. So determined
was this young man, that he even performed a dangerous dancing act on a
flatbed truck around Freeport to raise funds, along with setting up a
Facebook page to solicit assistance. Thompson, a graduate of Jack
Hayward High will be traveling with
Up with People until June 2012.
"I would like to say thank you to the
many people, and businesses that have sponsored me towards such an
exciting and amazing project.
Their generosity and belief in me has been wonderful.
I want to gain as much as possible from this trip so that I
can gain experience and skill, and be able to lead a
productive and creative life. When I return to my home country I will be a year older, and
hopefully wiser, and will be better able to serve the community and my people," said Rico.
The other two scholarships were awarded to members of the Grand Bahama
Youth Choir. Both Donvarcia Duncombe and Sharade are looking forward to
becoming ambassadors for The Bahamas during their Up with People 6 month
experience.
When asked how she felt about her upcoming travels, Donvarcia Duncombe
of
Hunters said, "As a recent graduate from Grand Bahama Catholic High
School I feel honoured and thrilled that I was chosen to be a part of
this prestigious organization. I feel blessed because I am at a crucial
point in my life in which the decisions I make will help to determine my
success in future endeavors. To me,
Up with People is definitely one of
those decisions," she said. "This is a great opportunity for me to
share my culture, meet new people, and further develop my talents. It
is also a pleasure to be a part of history, since I am one of the first
to represent The Bahamas in
Up with People and will set the pace for
other Bahamians in the future. It will be made known that The
Bahamas has extraordinary talent and gifted young people who are
interested in building their nation."
Six-time National Arts Festival winner, Sharade Taylor
is a graduate from Jack Hayward High
School where he was part of the Interact Club, Senior Choir and the
Junior Achievers Program. "I am so happy and excited to be a part of such a wonderful program.
Thanks to Mr. Tomlinson, Pelican Bay Hotel and the sponsors, I will have
a chance to make a difference in the lives of people world-wide. I am
also excited that I am going to interact with people of different
cultures, ethnic backgrounds and creeds, and be able to travel to
countries I would have never imagined that I would visit," said Sharade.
Colleen Eastman, who manages
Up with People’s
student enrollment process, had this to say, “I have had the pleasure
of working with Donvarcia, Rico and Sharade as they prepare to join our
international cast this summer. We are pleased to welcome these three
outstanding young people to our program, and we are confident they will
serve as excellent representatives of The Bahamas, returning home after
their travels with many stories and eager to take leadership roles in
their community going forward.”
Sponsors who have supported the success of this endeavour, and the
inaugural visit by
Up with People to Grand Bahama in February 2011, are
the Pelican Bay Hotel, Discovery Cruise Line, Thayers Natural Remedies,
and The Bahamas Weekly. It is hoped that with each
coming
year, and
through the support of local sponsors, The Bahamas can remain a
permanent fixture within the dynamic cast of
Up with People.
Up with People
is an independent nonprofit, [501(c)(3)] organization without any religious
or political affiliations. It
provides young adults an international and intercultural experience
that teaches service leadership and uses the performing arts to deliver
messages of hope and goodwill throughout the world. Up with People
exists today to spark people to action in meeting the needs of their
communities, countries and the world while building bridges of understanding
as a foundation for world peace. For more information visit
www.upwithpeople.org
.
© Copyright 2011 by thebahamasweekly.com
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