The Royal St Kitts Golf Course looked even more green than usual on Saturday as over 1,000 people took to the cart paths to walk in support of the St Christopher Children’s Home and Service League. The participants all wore green sports shirts which were given as part of the registration along with reusable water bottles. The crowd was quite a sight gathered at the start line for Mr. X’s famous Shiggidy warm up exercises.
As the start gun was fired by volunteers from St Kitts Olympic Committee, a sea of green shirts spread out and moved with single purpose around the course. There were tiny folks in strollers
through to veterans, all out soaking up the festive atmosphere of the afternoon and enjoying the rare opportunity to walk on the golf course which is usually the domain of golfers only.
“The fun run and walk is now in its 5th successful year and every year we are overwhelmed by the sense of community and goodwill which surrounds this event. This year however was our best ever; both in terms of number of participants and money raised” explained Mr. Mottram – Chairman of the Children’s Home Board. “The Organizing Committee and the Marriott have been outstanding once again in orchestrating this family fun day and we could not do it without their expertise and immaculate execution.
“The money raised today is critical to our survival” he continued “There is a popular misconception that we are government funded but the fact is that the funding is not sufficient to cover the Home’s average running costs are in excess of $200,000. We are very pleased to announce that this year’s event has raised an extraordinary $250,000 allowing us to maintain a Home for the children for another 12 months.”
Mrs. Margaret Stevens, the Home Administrator and “Mummy” explained “. To put this in perspective, imagine running a house full of children , 19 are with us currently, all of them in need
of loving care and some with learning difficulties. This level of attention requires funding and it only happens because of the very kind donations from wonderful people. Today’s event is our
sole fundraising activity and it is always an anxious time worrying whether we will raise enough funds to continue. These children have been failed by our society one way or another so it was a
very uplifting feeling mingling with the walkers and runners and realizing how much people really do care, and will take time out of their busy lives to reach out in this inspiring way. Thank you, thank you, and thank you”
The day wasn’t all about just walking; there was a serious competitive edge too as runners, keen for a personal best over the 5 kilometer course, jostled for position at the start. After a close race the Men’s trophy was claimed by T’more Henry with a time of 17:08:02 and the Ladies cup was lifted by Sally Venable with a time of 19:24.
They weren’t the only winners though all children less than 6 years old were awarded their own medals as they crossed the finish line. After the walk, all participants were treated to a well-earned BBQ meal with drinks and had the chance of winning great raffle prizes.
The St. Christopher Children’s Home and Service League wishes to acknowledge and wholeheartedly thank the following sponsors:
St. Kitts Marriott Resort
Royal Beach CCasino
Bank of Nova Scotia
Beaumont Park
Carib Craft & Graphics
Christophe Harbour Co. Limited
Citizenship Invest St. Kitts
Digicel
International Investments
International Software Services Ltd
Royal St. Kitts Hotel
Seaborne Airlines
Trade Electric
Vibes Beach Bar
Royal Utilities
Corporate Solutions Ltd
Excel Drywall
Henley & Partners
Kay’s Fine Jewelry
Latin Festival
National Bank
Marriott Vacations club
Peninsular Associates LLC (Sundance Ridge)
Porta
Protech Developments
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
SOL Gas
Windsor University School of Medicine
Guttermakers
Media Partners