Engage Treasurer Dwight Williams and volunteer Lancelot Thompson cleaning up Alexis Arnell Road.
PHILIPSBURG--Engage Foundation has set out on a mission to clean St. Maarten one run at a time with the Caribbean Gems Trash Run, an environmental charity run.
“This is an event we can all enjoy and feel great about. Not only are we taking care of our environment, we’re being active and giving back to our community,” said Engage treasurer and event coordinator Dwight Williams.
The Trash Run takes off from Raoul Illidge Sports Complex at 6:00am Sunday, September 23. Teams of 10 will head through six zones collecting trash, finishing at Topper’s Restaurant and Bar. The zones, which will be chosen on the day, cover the districts of Cole Bay, Simpson Bay and Cay Bay.
“We’re so excited and pleased to have teamed up with Sint Maarten Recycling for this. Clean-ups are a wonderful first step and now we are able to make a greater impact on our environment, our home. We’re bringing it full circle. One plastic bottle is a bottle too many that we don’t need in our landfill or oceans. I’m happy to see the residents doing their part. All the organisations with various initiatives, it’s a beautiful thing. Thank you, together we can,” said Engage president Claudine Williams.
“On Sunday, August 26, we carried out a clean-up of Alexis Arnell Road, commonly known as the ‘Cake House’ Hill Road, where we collected 12 bags of trash. This is a significant amount, yet just a fraction of the trash on that road and throughout the island,” he stated.
Teams participating in the Trash Run will receive points for the most trash and best time. Although not a requirement for participation, teams will also receive points for best upcycled costumes. Prizes will go to a charity of choice. Participation fee per member is US $10, which includes breakfast.
Persons interested in participating or volunteering in the Trash Run are welcome to visit @engagesxm on Facebook or Instagram to download a registration form and guidelines. The foundation can also be contacted via email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call tel. 554-5294 for more information.
Since its launch in October 2017, Engage Foundation has embarked on projects to positively impact the community, such as Engaged Roots community garden, personal development seminars and its Engage in Literature Read-a-thon, held in December 2017 in benefit of Philipsburg Jubilee Library. Engage will also execute FitPlay, an outdoor gym and playground initiative.
