Annual ‘Kites For Kids’ Set For April 5
The second annual charitable Kites For Kids event will be held at T.N. Tatem Middle School on Wednesday, April 5 beginning at 5.30pm.
Anthony Bailey Jr. said, “Kites For Kids is a community-oriented grass roots initiative conceived by myself, Anthony Bailey Jr, of Sunshine After Dark and rolled out with the help of fellow friend and co-founder of The Give Back Mr. Makinday Johansen.
“This charitable initiative was created with the aim of giving back to the community in a positive way while also preserving the long held Bermudian tradition of kite making and flying around the Easter holiday. Both myself and Mr. Johansen are enthusiastic about taking a positive stance within the community which over the years has had its challenges, especially amongst our youth.
“The story behind Kites For Kids is unique in that it was conceived in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic when a group of neighborhood friends from the South Court Avenue in Paget decided to attempt making traditional Bermuda kites as a pass time around Good Friday. Having managed to successfully complete a few and fly them, I presented the idea to friends Ms. Kamikko Ingham, Mr. Geoffrey Willoughby and Ms. Ciara Butterfield of mass constructing a bunch and giving them away to families as an act of charity.
“All agreed that this would be a great way of getting involved in the community and decided to begin brainstorming exactly how we would go about rolling this out. In comes Mr. Johansen who was already active within his local community by way of his Give Back team. I decided to reach out to him and run the idea by him of collaborating to scale this up and ensure that we could reach as many families as possible in which he immediately agreed to assist.
“Kites For Kids was officially rolled out for the first time Wednesday April 13th, 2022 at the T.N. Tatem school in Warwick. Much to our surprise the giveaway was hugely successful. We managed to give away over 60 traditional Bermuda ‘Hummer’ kites, several birdie kites and popcorn donated by Mrs. Wanneeka Saunders of GlamPop to Bermudian children and families with all supplies going in under 45 minutes.
“This year the buy in has increased and we have managed to secure the services of several local vendors and individual sponsors who have agreed to donate a portion of their goods or services toward the event. In addition, and much to our gratitude, both the Harbor Light Drug Rehab Facility and the Bermuda Department of Corrections Co-ed Facility, by way of The Right Living House have supported us by donating five and 20 kites respectfully.
“A huge thank you goes out to these men who in spite of their personal plight have decided to act in a positive and productive way by supporting the community with their donation.
“On behalf of the Sunshine After Dark team and The Give Back we would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all that have contributed, including Mrs. Wanneeka Saunders of GlamPop, Mr. Janori Smith of The Give Back and The Bermuda Department of Culture, Ms. Simiah Caisey of Embellish Graphic and Design, Ms. Kamikko Ingham of Sunshine After Dark, Mr. Geoffrey Willoughby of Bermuda Property Maintenance, Mr. Rodrae Butterfield of Roger Broox Trucking, Mrs. Dionne Caines of Desh Rentals, Mr. Tai Bean of Acquired Maintenance, The Right Living House of the Bermuda D.O.C, The Harborlight Drug Rehab Facility, The Pheonix Stores, BGA, Little Dippers, Jazzy Treats and Castle Masters.
“We look forward to your future collaboration with the aim of further expansion and increased community engagement. We would also like to thank the community for indulging us with their support as we look to continued growth with this initiative going forward and invite you to join us at T.N. Tatem on Wednesday, April 5 from 5:30pm while supplies last.”
