An Easter egg hunt hosted by the Sandals Montego Bay region brought holiday cheer to a cadre of children from the seaside community of Whitehouse on Holy Thursday.
The visit to Whitehouse is part of an ongoing mentorship initiative by Sandals themed ‘spreading the love’. This past session, however, was significant to the enthused children as it marked the first Easter gathering of its kind since the onset of COVID-19.
The children were feted to delicious confectioneries, a photo opportunity with the Easter bunny, Easter goody bags filled with school supplies, and a mentorship session themed ‘the values of Easter’ led by General Manager of Sandals Montego Bay, Christopher Elliott, and the volunteer team from his resort and Sandals Royal Caribbean.
“We should all be kind!” echoed the 30-odd children in attendance after Bartender Crystal Jones from Sandals Royal Caribbean asked them to repeat the mantra following her talk with the mentees. The team members each chose a word associated with Easter and took turns sharing important values with the youngsters.
“This Easter treat is something our children will remember forever. They loved the bunny and the messages shared about love, kindness, and forgiveness,” shared influential community leader Beulah England-Kelly. “For our younger children who were born during the pandemic, this is their first Easter experience, so it means a lot to me that Sandals came on board and helped to make it special.”
Kelly continued, “Sandals is no stranger to the Whitehouse community, our partnership has benefited the children greatly, it is something they look forward to and we certainly appreciate it.”
Christopher Elliott shared that the most heartwarming moment for him was seeing the faces of the children light up at the sight of the Easter bunny and hearing them repeat the affirmations shared during the mentorship session. “I am proud that we were able to create indelible memories for the children of Whitehouse, it’s important to Sandals that we always carve out time to serve our communities and our future leaders.”
He continued, “Today’s Easter activities are especially significant for the children and it is reassuring to know that the meaning of the holiday season is not lost on our next generation.”
Regional Public Relations Manager for Sandals Montego Bay Region, Rochelle Forbes-Reid excitedly shared that Sandals intends to further its community involvement and assistance in initiatives that bring about positive change for the region. “We are pleased with the success of this initiative and have several others that we hope will bring about positive change within Whitehouse and other communities,” shared Reid. “We look forward to seeing the transformation that the partnership between Sandals and our community leaders will yield for our youth.”
