RHTYSC, Latter Day Saints distribute $500,000 in sports gear

May 27, 2009 Sports

Fifteen schools, a number of Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) and Government agencies in Berbice were presented with $500,000 worth of sports gear by the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club last Friday at the Area ‘H’ ground.

The donation was made under the club’s ‘Say yes to sports’ programme and was done in conjunction with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, who provided the funding.

Benefitting were Bohemia, Rose Hall Town, Port Mourant and Belvedere Primary Schools, Tutorial, JC Chandisingh and Black Bush Polder Secondary Schools, along with Corentyne CBR Centre, Kamal Children’s Home, Albion Chapel, Eversham Youth Centre, Felix Austin Police Training Centre, Guyana Fire Service, Amerindian Hostel and the Orealla Youth Group.

They received equipment for a wide range of disciplines including hard and softball cricket, circle tennis, dominoes, chess, draughts, football, volleyball, basketball and table tennis.

Hilbert Foster, Club Secretary/CEO at the presentation disclosed that the club under the ‘Say yes to sports’ programme has donated $5 million worth of gear to over 100 organisations and schools over the past 10 years.

This he said is in an effort to offer sports as an alternative to youths away from a life of drugs and crime. Foster emphasized that the RHTY&SC is quite passionate about youth development and praised the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for their sponsorship and partnership.

The Church over the past years has invested $1.2 million into the programme, with 20 clubs and schools benefitting from $300,000 worth of sports gear, while 14 cricket clubs in February this year received $405,000 worth in cricket balls.

The long serving Secretary/CEO challenged the clubs and NGOs to take proper care of the equipment and to use them for the intended purposes. Elder Whitehead, the Church’s head of Charity in Guyana, endorsed the RHTY&SC’s policy that sports is the best possible avenue to keep youths off the road and gainfully occupied.

Whitehead stated that his church is pleased to be associated with the club and encouraged the schools to produce national champions in the different sports in the near future.

Sgt. Yonette Stephens of the Guyana Police Force’s Felix Austin College expressed profound gratitude to both the club and church for the donation.

Stephens stated that the College would use the items for development and bonding among the trainee policemen and women while promoting sports as a way to a healthy lifestyle.