Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 14, 2019 (S.T.E.P.) — President of the St. Kitts Society for the Blind, Mr Rockliffe Bowen, has on behalf of the executive and members of the society thanked the St. Kitts (Basseterre) Lions Club for remembering and positively engaging persons with disabilities.
“I want to say on behalf of our executive how appreciative we are in the Lions Club remembering us, because too many times we feel left out and we feel that nobody is studying us,” said Mr Bowen on Saturday October 12 at the Anchorage in Frigate Bay, the site of a beach picnic. “But I must say that the Lions Club they have come forward and they have put on this wonderful beach picnic for us and we must give our sincere thanks to them.”
Mr Bowen, who is also the Vice President of the McKnight Community Centre-based St. Kitts and Nevis Association for Persons with Disabilities, said: “I must say thanks on behalf of both organisations, to the St. Kitts Basseterre Lions Club for the invitation they have extended to us by providing this wonderful food and everything that we are partaking of.”
According to the President of the St. Kitts (Basseterre) Lions Club, Ms Charmaine Pemberton, October is observed as the Blindness Awareness Month and Lions Clubs worldwide celebrate the blind in the month. World Sight Day was observed on Thursday October 10 and this year’s call to action was ‘Vision First!’
“Today we are here with the members from the St. Kitts Society for the Blind having a picnic out for them,” said Ms Pemberton. “Every year we do this picnic, bring out the blind to socialise with us, and have some fun, play dominos, cards – we do games, we do swimming. This morning went on a walk from the Cenotaph and we are now here at the beach having fun.”
The walk, which was held under the theme ‘Journey for Sight’, had started at 6:00 am from the Cenotaph at the War Memorial in Fortlands, down on the Bay Road, on to Sandown Road, left to Pond Road, straight up Cayon Street via Greenlands, left to Burden Street, and back to the Cenotaph. In the afternoon they assembled under a large tent on the beach at the Anchorage in Frigate Bay where they had a sumptuous meal, played dominos and others swam in the sea.
The St. Kitts (Basseterre) Lions Club will on Tuesday October 15 make a presentation to the St. Kitts Society for the Blind and the St. Kitts and Nevis Association for Persons with Disabilities at the McKnight Community Centre. According to Ms Pemberton the presentation will include dominos and cards in braille for their enjoyment, and braille books for their reading.
Members of the McKnight Community Centre-based St. Kitts and Nevis Association for Persons with Disabilities are sponsored by the government of St. Kitts and Nevis agency, Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) and a few sighted ones accompanied their visually impaired colleagues. Also present were some trainees from the STEP-Sponsored Ade’s Place in Greenlands.
In thanking his colleagues from the McKnight Community Centre and the Ade’s Place, Mr Rockliffe Bowen said: “Also I want to say thanks to the persons who showed up here this afternoon to participate in this social event, members of both organisations, the St. Kitts Society for the Blind and the St. Kitts and Nevis Association for Persons with Disabilities which is located at the McKnight Community Centre.”
Others present and who helped out included St. Kitts (Basseterre) Lions Club’s 2nd Vice President Ms Heather Grant; Secretary Ms Toshie Davis; Past President Ms Adora Warner; and members of the club.
