RHTY&SC Christmas programme receives massive support

Plans by the 10 cricket teams of arguably Guyana’s number one youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, is set to host its 30th Annual Christmas Outreach Programme, which has continued to attract support from donors.

Over the period December 16-24, 2019, the Club will be sharing hundreds of food hampers to low-income families; thousands of toys to children; donations to numerous Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and clubs, assist students with educational materials and also host the fifth Edition of its Annual Christmas Village.
The cricketers under the guidance of Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu and Cricket Managers Ravindranauth Kissoonlall and Tyrone Pottaya, started preparation for the packed programme in early October.

The multimillion-dollar programme has benefited from sizeable donations from Mahadeo Panchu of KSM Investment; Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman; Bakewell; Dr Tulsi Dyal Singh of Texas, USA; Dr Aaron Fraser of Power Producers and Distributors; Namilco, ANSA McAL and Club Patron, President David Granger. West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer also contributed to a hamper project for Umpires and Retired Players, which is a joint venture with the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB).
Other donors to date include Chandradat Chintmani, Canadian Surplus, Donna Todd, First Lady Sandra Granger, Farfan & Mendes, V-NET Communication, Hardware Dept, Bissan Trading, WR Enterprise, Toucan Industries, Busta, DDL, Bounty Farm, Harris Paints, CIDI, HA Smacks, F & H Printery, De Sinco Trading, John Lewis Styles, The Gift Centre, Chief Brand, Len’s Craft, AM Khan, 4R Bearings, Karen Nero, Moonish Singh, Anamayah Hospital and AM Khan General Store.
Foster stated that for 2019, the RHTY&SC Cricket Teams have donated toys to large groups of schools and organisations including the Guyana Prison Service, Belvedere Day Care Centre and Lesbeholden Primary School. This, he stated, allows the teams to ensure that children across Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) benefited and not those from Lower Corentyne alone.
Donations of food items will also be made to orphanages, children’s homes and senior citizens’ homes; less-fortunate students will also benefit from donations of pens, pencils, exercise books, rulers and other items as part of the “Say Yes to Education Campaign”. The teams had earlier in the month treated over 200 Old Age Pensioners to breakfast while hundreds would receive a box of hot meals for the holiday.
The highlight of the programme would be the hosting of the Christmas Village in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School from the December 21-December 24, 2019. The teams have transformed the school compound into a dreamland for children and their parents with thousands of fairy lights, a 20-foot Christmas Tree, the Nativity Scene, Christmas Star, Santa and his sleigh, inflatable and plyboard cutout Christmas Characters, bouncy castles, trampolines, and children games.
The teams have also received donations of two plastic toy outdoor houses from Pastor Ravi Singh and Lindon Lewis of the USA. Construction of another toy house and a family photo bridge has also started with support from Tony’s Sawmill of East Bank Berbice. The main objectives of the Christmas Village are to promote the true tradition of Christmas, to promote social cohesion, the value of family time, to promote a safe entertainment place for kids, and to promote the Say No/Say Yes Message.
Director of the Village Simon Naidu expressed gratitude to all of the donors and expressed confidence that the Village and the charity programmes would be a huge success. The 10 teams of the RHTY&SC are Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and Under-13, Farfan & Mendes Ltd Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Metro Female, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Namilco Thunderbolt Flour Under-21 and First Division.