News

Toy Drive

CITA Seeking Toy Drive Participation

The 2024 Century21, CITA and DMS Toy Drive
Bene?ting NCVO, ARK’s MER Program and Pediatric Hospital Wards

Century21, CITA and DMS have partnered this year to support children in need in our community through a special Toy Drive to bene?t NCVO, ARK’s MER Program and Hospital Pediatric Wards. These organizations work tirelessly throughout the year to change the trajectory of life for at-risk children in our community. “We are hoping to be able help children in our community who have been adversely affected by poor home and family lives, poverty or illness” explained Sharlene Brenkus, the new President of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association which represents over 150 local businesses. “We are genuinely grateful to have the opportunity to partner with Century21 and DMS to elevate awareness and support of these important organizations.”

Century21 has been supporting NCVO over the past 4 years. They currently house 10 children in their foster care residence and support over 60 children in our community between the age of 3 months to 5 years – they need everything from funding to toys and supplies. “By partnering with the CITA Members and DMS, I am looking forward to assisting in better ful?lling the needs of these children over the holidays and beyond” expressed Kim Thompson, Operations Manager for Century21. Their expressed needs include educational toys, and books for children between the ages of 2 and 5.

The DMS UNITS division has spent the past couple of years supporting children in need in the community through various toy and school supply drives. Through this partnership, Toys from the drive will be delivered to the children in the hospital wards this holiday season. “UNITS is pleased to provide UNITS toy collection bins to support this toy drive to bene?t these remarkable children charities and look forward to the support of the many tourism businesses represented by CITA”.

Toys and donations may be dropped off a the Century21 o?ce located at the Grand Pavilion on West Bay Road/Seven Mile Beach or at the DMS Whitehouse Building in the center of George Town.

Sign up to host a toy drive collection bin

CITA is inviting our member businesses to participate in this worthwhile holiday initiative by having a collection bin at your location. Email info@cita.ky if you wish to participate. Toy and bin collection will take place until Monday, December, 16th.2024.

NCVO

The NCVO is dedicated to the care, education and well-being of children and families in need of support in the Cayman Islands. They have been serving the community since 1974 thanks to their co-founders Miss. Olive Miller and Mr. Richard Arch. They currently house and care for 10 children in their 24/7 residential foster care home, and 60 children aged between 3 months and 5 years are enrolled in its nursery and preschool. Investing in early childhood education and foster care has multiple long-term payoffs, all of which bene?t not just the children involved but the community at large.

NCVO’s immediate focus for the year ahead is to raise the funds necessary to provide the best services and staff to these children with the help of corporate donations, the community at large and its tireless volunteers.

ARK’s MER Program

The vision of MER (Mentor-Educate-Reinforce) is to change the trajectory of life for at-risk children through a combination of Mentoring, Educating, and Reinforcing. MER is an investment in Cayman’s future human capital, one that we earnestly believe will help to break the cycle of poverty. ARK implemented the Mentor-Educate-Reinforce (MER) program in the 2019-20 school year at George Town Primary. It is a close collaboration between charity, the public and private sectors. Cayman Learning Center is our partner in their equal attempt to pay it forward, by helping change the future for a group of struggling but highly capable children.

MER is an education initiative that provides intensive learning remediation, at a key stage in the lives of underprivileged children with learning di?culties. Through evidence-based reading and literacy intervention, it focuses speci?cally on improving the learning prospects of highly capable children who have been adversely affected by poor home and family lives, and by poverty.