A 40-foot container recently arrived on St. Maarten filled with smiles, hope and joy. It was a container sent by the RebuildSXM Foundation. RebuildSXM is an organization that was founded by Cyriel Pfennings-Richardson and John Sandiford shortly after the passing of Hurricane Irma. Both men live in the Netherlands, but like their team members, they have close ties to St. Maarten, as well as to Saba and St. Eustatius. In their own words, they started RebuildSXM Foundation because they were heartbroken by Hurricane Irma’s effects on Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius. They care about the islands and they want to help their home, their families and their friends by giving them a fresh start and a brighter future.
Assisted by a well-run and successful social media campaign, and utilizing other media outlets in the Netherlands, the foundation was able to raise €65,455. Cyriel shared that all kinds of initiatives were started in the Netherlands to raise money. School children got actively involved by organizing bake sales, car washes and even house cleanings. It was an incredible coming together of all sorts of people willing to help. However, the foundation was not only interested in raising money or collecting donated goods, but also to provide a platform for other initiatives to share their messages and requests for support. As such, they were able to link others and help streamline the outpour of support within the Netherlands. The foundation firmly believes that together we can achieve more.
The foundation underscores the importance of transparency and 100 percent of donations is used to help the people on the islands. In order to be clear about their intentions, the foundation agreed on milestones, hoping to raise €100,000 in total: the first €50,000 earmarked for school supplies, uniforms and educational materials, while the next €35,000 to assisting sporting initiatives and existing clubs on the islands, to ensure the youths have a safe outlet for their energy in their free time.
Once the first two milestones were achieved, the next €15,000 would go toward helping the elderly socialize again and find meaningful activities to fill their leisure time, to ensure their participation in the community. RebuildSXM was not able to do all it set out to do, because not enough money was raised. However, people can still donate to these causes. All the necessary information is readily available on www.rebuildsxm.com
With the help of their many local contacts and supporters, RebuildSXM has been busy the last two weeks organizing and distributing the contents of their 40-foot container. In accordance with each recipient’s wish list, goods were delivered to various play schools, all public primary/secondary schools, Milton Peters College and Sundial. Recipients of sporting equipment were Super Splash Swimming Team, Carib Swim Team, Flag Football Association, Island Hoops, National Institute of Arts (NIA) and St. Maarten Brazilian Ju Jitsu (SXM BJJ).
Happy and grateful recipients everywhere greeted RebuildSXM as is seen on their Facebook page. One such visit was to Super Splash Swimming Team which prepared a special “thank you” presentation to show their appreciation. The club was visited by RebuildSXM co-founder Cyriel Pfennings-Richardson and team member Jisk Goslinga during the team’s practice at the Belair pool. The swimmers gathered around the two big mystery boxes while the many parents and board members, who had come out to show their support for the presentation, looked on.
Super Splash President/Coach Mariette Schrijvers welcomed everyone and shared a brief history about the club. Cyriel and Jisk in turn educated the swimmers about RebuildSXM Foundation, what they wanted to achieve and how much support was shown in the Netherlands to help the people of St. Maarten. To show the club's gratitude, Cyriel and Jisk were made honorary members of Super Splash in a short ceremony. Additionally, RebuildSXM received a special poster depicting a container making a big splash in the pool with a likeness of Cyriel and Jisk on top with their thumbs up. All the names of the swimmers and coaches were incorporated in the splash in order to remember everyone. In front of the big splash were swimmers depicted in the pool forming letters to spell “THANKS” to finish the phrase “Thanks for putting the Splash back in Super Splash”.
The swimmers were at first disappointed that Cyriel and Jisk had not brought their swimwear to join them in the pool, but they were happy to energetically demonstrate the use of all the new equipment that was received. After the short demonstration, the last part of the presentation was enacted. Like on the poster, the swimmers spelled out letters in the pool using their bodies to spell out THANK YOU in Dutch (DANK U).
After all the goods were shared out to the different organizations, an empty container was left; but RebuildSXM had a purpose for the container also. It was intended for Player Development at Little League Field, which was in dire need of containers to replace those lost due to Hurricane Irma. The container will be converted into the Player Development’s clubhouse and will provide a learning environment to all its players.
Even though not all of RebuildSXM’s goals were met, the foundation still achieved a lot. The importance and impact of what has already been accomplished are great, because what RebuildSXM has done will have a long-lasting impact on St. Maarten and all its recipients now and in the future. Cyriel encourages other organizations in need of assistance to contact RebuildSXM so that the foundation can establish how it can be of help, because remember, “Together we can achieve more!”
