Hundreds benefit as annual Naeem Nasir Memorial Programme hosted

30th anniversary celebrations (1990-2020) of RHTY&SC and MS

…Lorenzao Johnny Memorial School Bag project imminent

Over the last week, hardworking cricketers of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), MS, handed out hundreds of food hampers to the less fortunate and to single-parent households as the annual Naeem Nasir Memorial Tribute Programme was hosted.

Led by Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster and Vice President Mark Papannah, the cricketers prepared the hampers, which consisted of a number of food items, including rice, sugar, salt, split peas, black eye, channa, cooking oil, toilet paper, potatoes, garlic and onion; and Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu, Vice President Mark Papannah, Club Captain Eon Hooper, and national junior cricketer Jonathan Rampersaud visited several identified families in several villages in the Lower Corentyne area to present them with hampers.

Recipients received hampers based on their income, living conditions, and the number of children living in the home, but special emphasis was placed on single-parent households.
On an annual basis since 2013, the RHTY&SC has been hosting this programme in memory of the late Bakewell CEO and Founder Naeem Nasir. A cricket tournament was organised during the first seven years of the programme, but with onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers decided, with approval of Bakewell, to distribute food hampers instead of hosting another cricket tournament.
Additionally, club members would be were involved in an internal essay competition on the topic: “How youths can contribute towards the development of a green economy”. The top three winners will receive attractive prizes.
Foster, also President of the vibrant and progressive Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), disclosed that the 10 cricket teams of the RHTY&SC, MS, and the BCB have distributed over six thousand food hampers. He said the Naeem Nasir Memorial Project is a special one for the club, as the late Bakewell Chief Executive Officer had been a special friend and sponsor.
Bakewell came on board as an official RHTY&SC sponsor in 2000, and has pumped millions of dollars into development of the Rose Hall Under-17 and Second Division teams. The two teams have won over twenty cricket tournaments combined, and produced dozens of national and Berbice players, including Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Eon Hooper, Shemaine Campbelle, Clinton Pestano, Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Junior Sinclair, Shawn Pereira, Erva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabi, Jonathan Rampersaud, Mahendra Gopilall and Jeremy Sandia.
Bakewell Berbice Sales Supervisor Andre Sukhwa and RHTY&SC Vice President Mark Papannah officially launched the programme at the Area ‘H’ Ground. Sukhwa thanked the RHTY&SC, MS, for honouring the Bakewell CEO’s memory, and hailed the club for its outstanding work in the Ancient County.
Meanwhile popular Rose Hall Town businessman Ryan Tillak on Friday last handed over a large quantity of school bags to the ten cricket teams in memory of his late friend Lorenzo Johnny. Johnny had been a very successful businessman in the township before he was brutally murdered in February. Johnny had been an honorary member of the RHTY&SC, MS, and of the club’s charity programme.
The school bags will be shared out under the Lorenzao Johnny Memorial Educational programme.
Office Manager Joel Pike expressed gratitude to Tillak for his support, and assured him that the school bags would be distributed to less fortunate students from single-parent households.
The ten cricket teams of the RHTY&SC, MS, are Poonai Pharmacy Under 12 and Under 13; Farfan and Mendes Under 15; Bakewell Under 17 and Second Division; Pepsi Under 19 and Intermediate; Metro Female; Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under 21 and First Division.