“Thank you, Barbados.”??These were the words of President of the Kiwanis Club of Bridgetown, Ken Knight, as the Chairperson of the Silver Dollars for Children Charity, Distinguished President??Jennifer Hinkson, presented donations to local charities from the Silver Dollars Campaign.
The charity representatives expressed their gratitude to the Kiwanis clubs which participated in the Silver Dollar Drive, launched in February with the theme: Each Dollar Helping Many Children.
Donations were collected over a three-month period at several events, including the Sandy Lane Gold Cup, Senior Games and CPL T20 matches, as well as local supermarkets and schools across the island.
The charities which received donations were the Asthma Association of Barbados,Barbados Council for the Disabled, the Dyslexia Centre, the Heart and Stroke??Foundation of Barbados and Special Olympics Barbados.
Each charity representative gave a brief report as to how the funds would be utilised, which ranged from providing food and amenities to sick children, to the purchase of testing equipment and reading materials.
President of the Barbados Cancer Society, Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson, said she was appreciative of the Kiwanis Club’s efforts to bring the charities together and allowing them “to work as a team”. She also said that the club provided “a tremendous service to Barbados to help us (charities) help its children in this special way”.
Distinguished President Hinkson indicated that the planning has already started for the Silver Dollar Drive for 2015.