The Tribune

One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF), the non-profit that is offering a rival proposal to Disney's plans for Lighthouse Point, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 29.

The meeting updated members on OEF's work and its strategic development plans for its upcoming fiscal year. Members also had the chance to engage with board members and ask questions.

Alfred Sears, the Foundation's chairman, said: "I am pleased to report that, in spite of some challenges, OEF enjoyed a successful year in providing financial and advisory support to our partner organisations, and in furthering the economic, environmental and social development of Eleuthera.

"Our work at OEF remains a deeply rewarding experience. We believe in the people of Eleuthera and the transformative economic and social development model of OEF."

The board also paid tribute to deceased directors, Tom Burns and Steve Merritt, for their support and commitment to the Foundation. "I would like to publicly acknowledge the stellar contributions made by Tom and Steve without whom OEF, as it stands now, may not have existed," said chief executive Shaun Ingraham.

There were no other changes to a board that was elected in 2017.

"We are excited to be here at the annual meeting, and we applaud the work that One Eleuthera continues to do here in this community. OEF is a pace setter for civil society organisations within The Bahamas. The work that OEF is doing is really riveting", said Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative, Gevon Moss.

OEF member, Gwendolyn Patram, added: "Working with OEF has been nothing short of a blessing for my company. We partnered with OEF to bring about a successful event, Youth Summit. It is an annual gathering of youth from one end of the island to the next. We are looking forward to further partnership with OEF."

When asked why she became a member of OEF, Shirley Burrows said: "I came to be a part of it [OEF] because of what they were doing. For three years they have helped me with the Youth Awards, and in that time I have been a part of whatever OEF does. Not because of the awards but because I am so proud that Bahamians themselves have taken on this kind of project to improve our island and to support our people in employment."

A key theme of the meeting was to recognise the value of collaboration, community engagement and partnerships. Mr Sears, in his official message, said: "I thank the many community partners, artisans, businesses and residents in Eleuthera who volunteered their time, treasure and ideas to the work of OEF."

Mr Ingraham expressed similar sentiments in his address, adding: "OEF would like to thank the board, members and the general public for continuing to support our programmee and projects as we continue to advance Eleuthera's economic, environmental and social development."

One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a non-profit development organisation formed to identify, invest in and strengthen high-quality projects that improve Eleuthera's communities and its economic, environmental and social development.

OEF invests in organisations that focus on one or more of our five areas - health and wellness; economic development; environment; culture and heritage; and education.