SANDALS FOUNDATION MENTORS YOUTH THROUGH SPORTS
Youth learn life skills through the Sandals Foundation’s cricket and golf academies
MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA (April 27, 2011) – The Sandals Foundation continues to mentor youth through sports by facilitating the Sandals Foundation Cricket Academy, which trained 120 Under-15 cricketers in Saint Lucia and Antigua, and the Golf Academy in Jamaica and Saint Lucia.
The Foundation has been successful in both sporting ventures, which is evident in the Golf Academy in Jamaica, which has now expanded to St. Lucia and the continuation of an 11-year-old Cricket Academy, which the Foundation took on in 2009.
Joining forces with the West Indies Cricket Board in 2011, the Sandals Foundation was able to host two high performance sporting camps that catered to youth from Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados and Canada.
“When one thinks of the vast history of cricket and how it has helped to define who we are as a Caribbean people, it is almost impossible for the Sandals Foundation to not get involved with developing West Indies cricket,” noted Adam Stewart, president of the Sandals Foundation Board of Directors.
The camps comprised of cricket skill development as they were put through their paces in the fundamentals of batting, bowling and fielding. The youth were also taught the history of West Indies cricket, the art of media relations, the importance of a healthy lifestyle and good sportsmanship.
The Sandals Foundation believes investing in young people is in keeping with its commitment to social development and expanded its engagement with youth through sports.
Since 2011, eight boys have passed through the Sandals Foundation Golf Academy in Jamaica to go on and represent the country at the Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships. Additionally, there has been an increase in grades by about 30 per cent and educational scholarships have been awarded to participants.
“We’re very pleased with the progress that has been made with the Golf Academy,” said Heidi Clarke, Director of Programmes for the Sandals Foundation. “We would like to see more of our young people do well and we look forward to fantastic results from the year-long programme in Saint Lucia.”
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About The Sandals Foundation The Sandals Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was created to continue and to expand upon the philanthropic work that Sandals Resorts International has undertaken. It is the culmination of three decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where we operate across the Caribbean. The Sandals Foundation funds projects in three core areas: education, community and the environment. One hundred percent of the moniescontributed by the general publicto the Sandals Foundation go directly to programs benefiting the Caribbean community.
To learn more about the Sandals Foundation, visit online at