The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

WEDNESDAY was a very special day for the Local Organising Committee for the Oaktree Medical Centre 50th CARIFTA Games.

Three small businesses, represented by four women, came on board as partners for the games scheduled for April 7-11 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium as they made their commitment during International Women’s Day.

The women - Sieska Adderley, Sonia Brown, Patrece Adderley and Rian Sands - shared the platform with Fern Hanna, the marketing manager for the LOC during a press conference in the Cultural Village being set up for the games in the eastern parking lot of the stadium.

Sieska Adderley, a former journalist turned public relations officer for Kanoo, said they are proud to be a sponsor of the games and as a digital payment app, it’s their responsibility to connect Bahamians across the archipelago, ensuring that they have financial inclusion.

“A part of that connectivity and a part of what we do is giving Bahamians and residents everywhere the power to progress and there’s no better way to progress than to invest in our youth, who are going to lead our nation in the next few years,” she said.

“As a proud sponsor, as a young woman, as a professional and as someone who is not athletic, we are proud to be a part of this great initiative and what is more significant is that it is happening in our 50th year of Independence.

“And so I couldn’t be more proud as a woman, as a Bahamian, as a professional to be a part of the great Kanoo team.”

Without going into any details or letting the cat out of the bag, so to speak, Adderley indicated that Kanoo will be gearing their involvement in the games with that of junkanoo as they display their cultural aspect.

Sonia Brown, the principal engineer from Graphite Engineering Ltd, said their company is a mechanical and engineering consultant firm. The mechanical engineer by profession said that while they had the fortune of working on many projects in the Bahamas, they jumped on board when the opportunity came to get involved in CARIFTA.

“We re all on board assisting young people,” said Brown, who indicated that her office is full of young people. “We also know and recognise that through athletics, we are half way through the success of many persons as they go on to become professional athletes or they use their athleticism to further their education and become professionals. So we’re very proud to be a part of this.”

Graphite Engineering Ltd specialise in designs for air-conditioning, ventilation, water supply, sanitary waste, liquified petroleum gas, medical gas, electrical, fire protection and fire alarm systems and assemble just the right team, best suited to execute the design works.

Patrice Adderley, the sales and operations manager for Lowe’s Wholesale Drug Agency, said as a company celebrating 70 years of existence, they know what the country is going through with its 50th celebrations and so they are delighted to be a partner of the 50th games as well.

“We represent so many consumer goods and services and that’s why we are here. We’re here to give back to our country,” she said.

“We’re very elated for this opportunity to share in this grand athleticism in terms of sponsoring our youth.”

And Rian A. Sands, the brand manager for both Clorox and Nutriment, said there’s no better way to service the country by investing in the youth of the nation with the two brands they will be distributing during the games.

She noted that in partnering with the LOC, they will get a chance to provide the Clorox beach to all of the patrons at the games and at the same time give them some energy boost through four different flavours of the Nutrament drink.

“To our young athletes who were chosen to represent this grand Bahama land, do know that we stand by you, we will be cheering you on and we will be there to support you every step of the way,” said Sands.