After Hurricane Irma had left a path of destruction on St. Maarten, members and employees of Sint Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) realized that the only way for the island to bounce back was to get itself organized. Sint Maarten Yacht Club members and employees set about seeing what they could do to contribute to the recovery.
The immediate needs of the island community were covered by professional organizations, but to keep the ongoing recovery on point, some weeks later SMYC reached out to the people who had been actively involved in distributing relief aid. They were looking for areas where donations were still much needed and were pointed in the right direction.
“We contacted organizations like the Red Cross, K1 Britannia and the Rotary and found out they had set up solid projects, making huge progress in getting the basic needs covered, while also working on long term plans. We wanted to contribute as a Club, but as a small entity we wanted to put it towards smaller or lesser known projects. Through our contacts, we established three locations where we felt we could make a difference.” explained General Manager Michele Korteweg.
Before the hurricane, the SMYC was planning a yard sale and had asked its members whether they had goods they wanted to contribute. The proceeds were designated to support the Youth Sailing Programme. The yard sale never happened because of the hurricane, however, the items were still available. These items ranged from household goods to T-shirts, bags, polo shirts and toys. The club decided that rather than having a yard sale, they would donate these items to the many who were really in need.
“Although we are busy raising funds to rebuild the docks, replace the fleet and fix the damage sustained to the yacht club and sailing school, we were very much aware of the need for basic items like T-shirts, toys, etc., so donating the items was the only right decision.” Explained Korteweg. After speaking with several of the yacht club members, many of whom are already involved with organizations volunteering year-round, the decision was to go ahead, as giving back to the community is something they are all involved in - it creates a greater sense of community among the members.
Goods went to an orphanage in French Quarter, run by “Mama Webster,” a 73-year-old lady who has been looking after youngsters for 44 years. She looks after the children until they are old enough to look after themselves. Weeks after the hurricane had passed, she managed to get the kids back into schools.
Office items, such as paper, filing folders, laptop bags and much more went to Sundial School which sustained damage to the hospitality section of its building. With the help of the Dutch Marines, Sundial managed to have the kitchen back up and running. The Red Cross now prepares meals for those in need in the kitchen. The money they save in purchasing office items can now go back to ensuring the wellbeing of the students.
SMYC also contacted Tom Burnett, after reading an article about his work at Little League Stadium and Festival Village. When Korteweg realized the amazing things he was doing for those who are seeking shelter in the Village and Stadium, she had to find out how SMYC could contribute. His answer was simple: “Anything you have, we will take and get it to those in need.”
“When we went to drop off a couple of boxes, we got the full story on how he works closely together with all the other organizations like K1 and Red Cross to get the items distributed. He mentioned how few people are aware that 50 people are seeking shelter at the Village, 20 of which are children. Even worse, people don’t know that they collect aid at the Stadium, which is available to anyone in need. Tom has been such a great supporter of the Yacht Club, covering the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta for many years, as well as many other sailing events hosted by the club. “I felt really good that Sint Maarten Yacht Club could offer some support to this project,” continued Korteweg.
Members of SMYC also contributed towards K1 Britannia’s Christmas Angel Programme by collecting Christmas presents for children and seniors at their own annual Christmas Party. Approximately 60 gifts were collected and dropped off at the tree at the new government building.
“It is heart-warming to see how involved our members are with the community and their interest in giving back is clearly shown through their contributions to these projects. It is the season of giving, but we are looking forward to give back to the community year-round,” concluded Korteweg.
