Dear Editor:
As 2023 draws to a close, we are extremely excited to see the growing impact that Project Promise is having on our community and our world. This year marked many firsts as well as the continuation of our existing program.
First No. 1: We moved into our own home. In January, after many years of waiting, wanting, planning and praying, including two years of fundraising and construction, we opened the doors to our newly-rehabilitated community center. Woo hoo! The opening of this elegant, eloquent space in which children can learn and become the best versions of themselves is a huge milestone in the history of Project Promise.
First No. 2: We started our 5th program, Empowered Me. We have always said that if we had our own space, we could expand our programming to impact even more kids here on island. Our new Empowered Me program is that statement manifested! Empowered Me is a holistic enrichment program designed to empower St. Croix youth ages 10 to 18 with the tools and attitudes they need to be winners in life.
Classes are offered on Saturdays in nine-week sessions. Topics in 2023 included financial literacy (made possible by partnerships with First Bank, Oriental Bank and Bank of St. Croix), creative expression, cooking (a huge hit!), cultural awareness and career exploration. We are excited to keep the momentum going in 2024.
First No. 3: We launched a new scholarship program. The Friends of Forrest Scholarship Fund, which will be an ongoing collaboration between the Friends of Forrest group and Project Promise, launched in Q3. Project Promise will manage the program itself, including accepting applications and choosing recipients, while the Friends of Forrest will be responsible for fundraising.
First No. 4: Our Toys for Tanzania program came full circle. Since 2016, each year as part of the community service pillar of the Caterpillar Program, our students have been involved with selecting toys, sports equipment, and school supplies to send to the children at an orphanage in Tanzania. This year I visited the orphanage to deliver the gifts in person. It was an amazing way to fulfill a dream I have had for over eight years.
First No. 5: We traveled to Singapore to represent the Virgin Islands in the FIRST Global Challenge. FIRST Global is an annual, Olympics-style robotics event designed to give students a hands-on science and technology experience based on collaborating with others to solve real-life problems. When FIRST Global invited Project Promise to represent the Virgin Islands at the event, we had just two months to put together a team, recruit an advisor, and build and program a robot. We got it done and came together with 900 students from over 127 different nations for an incredible, life-changing experience.
Other highlights of 2023 included working with the second cohort of students in our ongoing flagship Caterpillar Project, year nine of our Salt River Bay Program for area 4th graders, year 7 of our Excellence and Leadership Recognition Award Program, year five of our Buck Island Program for area 5th graders, a hugely successful Havana Nights fundraising event, and more. The Salt River Bay Program is now the longest consistently running program with our local National Parks Service partners. Evidently, we don’t let pesky little things like devastating hurricanes and global pandemics stand in the way of impacting our youth!
We’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary in 2024. Looking back, I am extremely proud of all we have accomplished during the past decade… the number of lives we’ve touched… and tremendously grateful to you for your continued support. We look forward to continued service to our community in the years to come.
With Gratitude,
Resa O’Reilly Shearn: founder and president of Project Promise
