CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank has presented the St. Lucia Red Cross and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) with $50,000 for rehabilitation efforts following the Christmas Eve trough.
A total of $25,000 was handed over to each organisation at a short ceremony at the bank’s office in Castries on Tuesday morning.
The money given to Red Cross will go towards replacing some of the items lost during a fire which occurred at one of the organization’s storehouses in December shortly after the trough. The rest of the funds will be used to procure items like toiletries, mattresses, beds and some food items.
NEMO, on the other hand, will utilise the funds to replace school supplies for children who lost theirs in the floods.
Speaking at the ceremony was Mauricia Thomas-Francis, acting senior country manager of the bank, who said her firm was proud to be able to contribute to the relief efforts.
She further underscored the bank’s commitment to education around the region, noting that it is “our pleasure this morning to support those kids who unfortunately need to continue their education who do not have the supplies they need”.
“For us, this response came naturally… because of our commitment to supporting all the communities in the region where we operate. The bank has a significant commitment towards supporting from a philanthropic perspective in those territories where we operate and we provide one percent of our net profits every year which goes towards supporting in various spheres,” she said.
Meanwhile, St. Lucia’s cabinet secretary and recipients of the aid all expressed gratitude for the donations.
Last week, the CIBC FirstCaribbean donated $100,000 to St. Vincent and $50,000 in Dominica for trough relief efforts.