{"id":81146,"date":"2012-12-10T11:45:54","date_gmt":"2012-12-10T15:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=81146"},"modified":"2019-04-14T12:29:26","modified_gmt":"2019-04-14T16:29:26","slug":"sagicor-insurance-spreads-christmas-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/news\/educationyouth\/sagicor-insurance-spreads-christmas-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Sagicor Insurance spreads Christmas joy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Gift exchange at the event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One company here has decided to forgo its annual staff dinner and donate the money to a charitable organization in its attempts to show love and joy this Christmas.<\/p>\n

Furthermore each member of Sagicor’s staff has volunteered to buy a gift for a resident at the institution.<\/p>\n

Sagicor Insurance Company donated $2,475 to the Operation Youth Quake at a gift exchange and Christmas party over the weekend.<\/p>\n

In an interview with DNO, Randy Rodney, Agency Manager at Sagicor, said the initiative was taken by members of staff who decided to use the money from its annual staff Christmas dinner and give it to those in need.<\/p>\n

“We took a decision as staff that we would not dress up and go to a hotel and get a fancy dinner but instead we would share that with some people we felt needed it,” he noted. “So what it would cost us to have dinner, we\u2019ve written a cheque for it and every member of staff volunteered to buy a gift for each resident here. Fortunately there are fifteen of them and there are more than fifteen of us.”<\/p>\n

“We did ask that each gift be not below $70; we wanted to give something tangible both in terms of the gifts and in terms of the cheque,” Rodney added.<\/p>\n

Cheryl Rolle General Agent of Sagicor encouraged the young people to take their school work seriously.<\/p>\n

“The only way you could have a bright future is if you take your school work seriously. Continue to do well; this is just a token to bring you joy and love this Christmas,” Rolle said.<\/p>\n

Meantime Lennox Abraham, Director of Operation Youth Quake, said that the financial contribution comes at a time when it is needed most.<\/p>\n

“We know Christmas came a little earlier and we want to be thankful for first of all sharing a meal with the young persons. It\u2019s not often they have that opportunity, and secondly for your financial contribution, as you know if you have a chance to visit, we are in need of a roof. Our roof is completely gone… we have been looking for funding. As you know working with young people is not very easy,” Abraham said.<\/p>\n

The Operation Youth Quake is currently home to 13 children and for the past eighteen years has been been providing day-care and short-term residential care to young children who are abused, deprived, neglected or in some form of crisis.<\/p>\n

They also provide individual and group counseling and recreation in a safe, secure and caring environment.<\/p>\n