From left, Statia DOET coordinator Maxine Spanner-Suarez with volunteers Ignart Verweij, Sjahairah Fleming and Nadine De Graf-Busby.
EUSTATIUS--The Statia DOET Team will be kicking off their 2020 campaign at the Labour Office on Breedeweg in St. Eustatius on Friday. This year marks the sixth annual volunteer campaign, which will be taking place from March 13 to14. Persons are asked to drop by Statia DOET, receive information and sign up for a project which benefits the community.
The two-day event is organized by the Oranje Fonds fund and the Public Entity St. Eustatius. Last year, a multitude of community-minded activities took place under the Statia DOET banner, such as a healthy breakfast for senior citizens provided by Bethel Methodist School, the refurbishment of William and Christine Flanders Community Centre, a Vitality Beauty and Spa, fun days for senior citizens by St. Eustatius Community Home Care; and a paint job for St. Eustatius Historical Foundation’s blacksmith shop.
Organisations can submit their plans, which may qualify for a small grant to the maximum of US $650. Deadline for submission is February 5.
A form for grant applications is available at the Labour Office. Applicants may also submit the form online at www.statiadoet.com. Volunteers can also sign up to take part in the event.
To qualify for a grant, organizations must meet certain requirements, such as being an officially registered foundation, society, school or health organization. The volunteer job or activity must benefit an organization or target group on Statia. An estimated 10 people are recommended to take part in the planned activity, half of whom may be member of the target organisation.
The Saba Lions Club and the Oranje Fonds will be presenting Saba DOET on March 13 and 14. The DOET initiative started within the Dutch Kingdom more than14 years ago, firstly in the Netherlands, with the Dutch Caribbean islands joining in shortly thereafter.
These initiatives highlight volunteering, as well as volunteers themselves, while encouraging everyone to roll up their sleeves for (part of) a day, giving everyone a fulfilling and gratifying feeling of a day well spent, ensuring that community-serving organizations receive the help they need and deserve.
