‘Butch’ donates $1m to expand Flankers Peace and Justice Centre
MONTEGO BAY, St James – Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the chairman of Sandals Resorts hotel chain, yesterday donated $1 million towards the expansion of the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre, located on the outskirts of this resort city.
The contribution was made by the hotelier during a tour of the facility with managing director of Sandals Resorts International, Merrick Fray, and Horace Peterkin, general manager of Sandals Montego Bay.
It was Sandals’ second donation to the centre in just over two years. In January 2004, Stewart donated $250,000 to the centre after plans for the expansion of the facility were outlined by Marilyn McIntosh-Nash, who heads the centre which was set up under the Sandals Training And Recruitment Tier (START) programme.
Since the inception of the START programme in 2003, over 75 youths from Flankers have been trained and officially certified by HEART/NTA. For its part in the programme, Sandals Montego Bay received local, national and international recognition from the Canadian International Development Agency, the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and the Social Conflict and Legal Reform.
Currently, graduates from the START programme are gainfully employed at several Sandals, Beaches and other local hotels, on cruise ships as well as in the Government’s overseas employment programme.
In presenting the cheque yesterday, Stewart said that the Flankers community and the Sandals hotel chain have had a long-standing relationship spanning more than 25 years.
He noted that the resort chain employed more than 300 persons from that inner-city community and, in addition, has embarked on a number of programmes to improve the lives of the residents.
Meanwhile, Peterkin, who was delighted about Stewart’s donation, commended McIntosh-Nash for her sterling contribution to the often volatile community.
“I have been working with her for the past nine years and I have seen a transformation in this community because she was able to get the community to make a commitment to make a difference,” Peterkin said.
The building, which houses the peace and justice centre, offers various programmes for community members, including a learning centre for persons who are in need of remedial classes.
The success of the START programme in Flankers has pushed residents of Norwood, another Montego Bay inner-city community, to ask Sandals to replicate the programme there. That extension began in August.