Flow delivers gifts to children in care

Christmas cheer is on the way for wards of the state after telecoms provider Flow delivered more than 100 gifts to the Child Care Board (CCB).

In what is an annual tradition for the company, employees each ‘adopt’ a child in care and then purchase an item from their personal wish list. Flow’s employees then wrap the gifts, and they also personalise the gifts with a note to each child.

“Our team is always eager to support this initiative and there is no doubt the need is great, so it warms our hearts to be able to make the yuletide season a little more enjoyable for these young, deserving Barbadians,” said Desron Bynoe, Country Manager, Flow Barbados.

“We are committed to being agents of change and our partnership with the CCB is significant as it allows us to support the development of the future of Barbados and positively impact children who are most in need. Heart is more than something we have, it’s something we share.”

Colin St. Hill, Acting Director of the CCB, thanked the team at Flow for their generous donations. “Flow has been a long-standing supporter of the CCB, and these Christmas gifts are always well received, especially as the team at Flow makes a special effort to provide the children with the gift of their choice. It is an inspiring initiative, and we thank Flow for continuously supporting the work of the CCB and children in care,” he said.

Flow provides seven children’s homes – Nightingale Home, Lily Cot, Ixora Cottage, Violet Gittens, McManus Centre, Sterling Children’s Home, and the Marina Brewster Centre at Farrs – with free connectivity and access to its online learning platform, Flow Study.

The contribution to the CCB also coincided with parent company Liberty Latin America’s annual Mission Week – a company-wide initiative where employees across the Caribbean contribute their time, energy, and knowledge to effect positive change in local communities.

In Barbados, employees collected non-perishable items on behalf of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Barbados, which provides 1, 300 school children with breakfast daily through its Breakfast Club Programme. The company’s Outside Plant Team also engaged in a community de-bushing and tree-trimming project using the company’s bucket trucks.

Flow also recently delivered $15, 000 worth of supermarket vouchers to the Barbados Cancer Society and the HIV Food Bank as part of its commercial and charitable campaigns for Independence Day and Christmas.

“Each year our contributions grow and more of our people get involved in activities focused on supporting learning, taking care of the environment, enabling digital access, and providing disaster relief. This is a testament to who we are and why we feel it is so important for us to give back in the communities where we live and operate,” said Michael Coakley, Vice President, Head of Communications, Liberty Latin America.

In the past, Flow has delivered connectivity and computer equipment to Welches Primary School; joined forces with the Caribbean Youth Environment Network to remove more than 200 pounds of garbage from Pile Bay; organised a food, toy and book drive for Caribbean neighbours who were impacted by hurricanes in 2017; managed the Salvation Army’s kettles at Swan Street, Sheraton Mall and the Dome Mall; presented gifts, volunteered time and power washed the Thelma Vaughan Memorial Home; and planted trees with the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education and Design (WIRRED).

Last year, more than 1, 250 employees of Liberty Latin America provided 4, 000 volunteer hours across 20 countries for its Mission Week. (PR)