The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

ELEUTHERA is emerging as a leading island in The Bahamas due, in part, to an organization committed to strengthening the community, connecting the island and planning for the future. The One Eleuthera Foundation has found a way to be just that - a strong foundation for the island and its residents to grow and thrive - together. It has been so successful many people throughout the country have heard of One Eleuthera. Its motto sets the tone for a mantra the entire country should follow - “Working Together to Own and Sustain Our Economy”.

The idea was conceived by an Eleutheran whose passion for community is rooted in his own experience as an island boy. Shaun Donavon Ingraham was born and raised in Tarpum Bay. There, members of the nuclear and extended family, neighbours and everyone in the community operated as a collective - likely as a means of survival. But in that classic way of life, children learned the value of hard work and togetherness.

“The best thing about growing up in Tarpum Bay was that I developed deep relationships that taught me the importance of community,” Shaun said.

“The adage ‘it takes a village’ was proven to be true; aunts, uncles, neighbours and teachers all contributed to raising you. One thing of note is that my parents made sure their children had very diverse and practical hands-on-training and experiences to empower and shape us. Summers and weekends, we were encouraged to work along with different tradespeople and professionals in our community. My brothers and I would apprentice with carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, masons and others, learning all we could. To this day we all have a valuable and wide repertoire of skills and trade-related knowledge that we can thank our parents for.

“My parents were both very humble, giving people. In particular it was my mother, God rest her soul, and her untiring example and drive to give back and make life easier for others that was my greatest example.”

Ruth and Gordon Carey not only made sure their children developed useful trades, they also made sure they had the life skills that would broaden their horizons and help them succeed beyond the beautiful aquamarine borders of Eleuthera.

Shaun is succeeding and his work is being recognized around the world. He is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF). It is a collaboration of different community members and organisations, all recognizing the island’s challenges, opportunities and assets and have committed to developing a comprehensible, sustainable plan for the island. It is led by a Board of Directors and staff members. A Shared Vision for South Eleuthera, which was first commissioned in 2010 by Friends of Lighthouse Point to develop a sustainable plan for Lighthouse Point and other special heritage and conservation sites on Eleuthera, inspired the formation of One Eleuthera.

The One Eleuthera Foundation believes Eleutherans should own their own economy and sponsors a variety of programmes designed to accomplish this goal. Programmes have also been designed specifically for preserving heritage and culture; promoting the health and wellness of Eleutherans and protecting the environment and its natural resources, with a focus on conservation and sustainability.

One of OEF’s great accomplishments is the establishment of the Centre for Training and Innovation. CTI has a Learn and Earn Programme, where students attend courses a few days a week and work in a trade to learn a marketable skill while earning a stipend. The first 22 students graduated in June of 2017 in areas such as construction, farming, hospitality and landscaping.

CTI’s Workshops and Certificate Courses have also become popular, with residents taking advantage of subjects like grant writing, project management, general computer skills and software training. Through CTI, the One Eleuthera Foundation now operates the only technical and vocational training facility and training hotel on Eleuthera. The training hotel has 16 rooms and a training restaurant.

In light of the COVID -19 pandemic, a significant push was placed behind farming and food security projects, launching capital projects and expanding an online Virtual Campus through the CTI.

Under Shaun’s leadership, OEF is making significant strides on the local and national arena. Because of OEF’s work, Shaun served as a member of the committee advising the government on the country’s National Development Plan. The foundation is now recognized at a regional level by the Inter-American Development Bank as a viable model for socio-economic development.

Over the past few years, Shaun has been invited to share OEF’s model throughout The Bahamas, in Barbados and in the US. The OEF model he has created will not only continue to strengthen Eleuthera’s island economy, but also spur social innovation in other Bahamian, Caribbean and Latin American settings.

Consider that it all started with an island boy with big dreams to help others, starting in his own community, then taking his passion and letting it drive him all around the world. Next month, Shaun will receive the Community Impact Award from his Alma Mater, Emory University. This is a new category award and Shaun will be the first recipient.

“Within the Emory family, the Community Impact Award is one of the most significant awards that an alum can receive; it has been a privilege to witness all that Shaun and his faithful team have accomplished over the years,” noted Corrine Abraham, an Associate Professor for Emory’s Neil Hodgson Woodruff’s School of Nursing who has brought students to Eleuthera for the last fifteen years.

“I see this award as not so much a reflection of my work, but the work of dozens of people over the years who have given of their time and resources to make OEF a reality,” Shaun reflected.

Emory’s Community Impact Award is given for advocating for and effecting change within a specific community; addressing critical social, economic, health, or environmental needs throughout society; pursuing passion projects that benefit the greater good; and driving change through significant philanthropy.

In November 2020, Shaun received the prestigious Heart of Rotary award “for dedicated service to Rotary and “service above self”. In 2017, he was awarded the Ministry of Tourism’s National Cacique award for Sustainable Tourism.

“Growing up on the island, I engaged in a lot of service-based activities, which I found to be enjoyable and rewarding,” he shared.

Shaun spent his formative years at Tarpum Bay All Age School and then Preston A Albury High School. All along, he found himself happily immersed in service clubs including his church youth group, Pathfinders, and Key Club. He cemented that passion with education. He earned his Associates of Arts Degree in Psychology/Sociology at the College of the Bahamas, Bachelors of Arts in Sociology at Florida Southern College in Lakeland Florida, and his Masters in Divinity at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Shaun found his calling for social work in 1992 in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, a monster storm that devastated islands in the Bahamas, including Eleuthera, before hitting southern Florida. Working with the Methodist Church at that time, he coordinated on-the-ground efforts on Eleuthera for many local and international organizations including The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Rotary International, the Presbyterian Church and others.

It was a storm that changed his life: “My path was really launched by the opportunity I had as a young adult to serve in the Methodist Church as a Youth Pastor and then in other ministries including helping to develop Methodist Habitat. This was the incubator and the first exposure I had to serving on a much larger scale.

“It was during this period of my life in August of 1992 that Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane slammed The Bahamas and US leaving death and destruction. The Presbyterian Church, Rotary, The Methodist Church and a few other organizations partnered to bring help and relief. Although tragic, it was an experience that taught me that I was cut out for disaster relief work.

“I volunteered for days at a time, travelling and living in areas with no running water or electricity and swarms of mosquitoes. Going there knowing I would be able to help somebody get food, water, clothing, and medicine or get back into their home was exhilarating and fulfilling for me. Most days I’d work around the clock just making sure people were taken care of. In fact, I’d really have to make an effort to pull myself away from the work. That’s where I discovered my great passion, which was obviously around construction and building; building physical buildings but also metaphorically building communities, and building and rebuilding people’s lives. It was then I realized that what I was doing, I could do forever without getting fatigued or tired. It was at this point in time - where my greatest passion met The Bahamas’ greatest need - that I found my vocation.”

As life progressed, Shaun continued with disaster relief and economic and social development efforts for numerous national, regional and international development organizations. His work took him to more than a dozen countries in Africa, South East Asia, North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including in roles such as consultant in Disaster Response, Habitat for Humanity International, consultant in the Organization of American States Project: “Expanding the Socio-Economic Potential of Cultural Heritage in the Caribbean” and Assistant to Grant Coordinator for Rotary International’s Haiti Earthquake Response at the 2010 earthquake.

He has been involved primarily with Disaster Relief and Management and Community Development. As a Disaster Consultant, he has led several teams in relief efforts. Some of his disaster experience includes response to the South Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, Haiti Earthquake, and Hurricane Ivan in Grenada. He has worked for agencies like Habitat for Humanity, New Providence Community Church, Food for the Hungry, Rotary International and the World Council of Churches. He has served as Charter President of the Rotary Club of Eleuthera and Co-Founder and past Director of the Open-Heart Foundation in Nassau, Bahamas, as well past president of Civil Society Bahamas.

Shaun has blossomed into a social entrepreneur, and his greatest work to date would be felt right on the island of his birth. He has helped incubate numerous social enterprises including: Methodist Habitat; Island Journeys; South Eleuthera Emergency Partners; the One Eleuthera Cooperative Credit Union Limited; the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI); Eleuthera Arts and Cultural Center and the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF).

Through the Eleuthera Feeding Initiative, a private/public partnership with OEF, the National Food Distribution Task Force and Harbour Island Food Bank, $2 million dollars was raised in order to consistently feed thousands of residents and families in Eleuthera at the peak of the crisis. In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, One Eleuthera helped over 2,000 people, taking them in as evacuees from Abaco and providing food, shelter and employment.

“Part of the learning for us between Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 is that nothing beats preparation,” Shaun said.

“We must continue to focus on strengthening our emergency response capabilities and resources to ensure efficiency and a quick response. Our plan is to work closely with our strategic core partner South Eleuthera Emergency Partners (SEEP) to help them become the leader in managing and responding to on-island disasters and emergencies, and to ensure they are adequately equipped even before they occur.”

His island upbringing and family support sustained him through it all: “I have two sisters and five brothers. We are all very close and support each other. Starting out as a young man, I leaned very heavily on my family for the support to travel abroad and serve alongside global organizations on an international scale. I couldn’t accomplish what I did without family support. They always had my back and still do. It was these life-changing opportunities that gave me the experience, connections, and skillset I needed that weren’t available locally.

“Most of all, it was my parents who influenced me and my wife Sandra who supported me. I also had some great teachers and mentors along the way like Dr. Reg Eldon and others who helped me bridge the gap as a small-island boy moving to “the big city of Nassau.” My entire family, including aunts and uncles were really instrumental in instilling this life-of-service concept within me. It is a life I know I was born for.”