By Ron Daniel
When I look back over my young life, I am amazed how it seems that my entire life has been spent in either some community service or church group. For the past ten years, I have had to write to various persons and companies requesting financial assistance for some academic, social or religious cause. I think then that I am in a unique position to speak about how important good corporate citizens are for the advancement of our society. In this article I intend to make the case for more people to get involved in giving back to the community while saluting those who have been good corporate citizens.
The importance of god corporate citizens cannot be overemphasized. It is through the kindness of others that the energies and abilities of the young can be channelled into propitious activity and away from the ubiquitous pernicious threats. The gifts of corporate citizens allow for summer sporting and developmental programs, church camps which help to cultivate morals in the lives of youths, educational programs to be accomplished, communities to be beautified, sporting tournaments to be held and the like. From time immemorial, it is the kindness of corporate citizens which help to develop communities and countries by extension. There is biblical precedent for giving as scriptures such as “as much as you have done it unto the least of these you have done it unto me.
There are some corporate citizens who have shown that they embodied the concept of giving back to the society. LIVE Nevis a new villa development made a financial contribution to the Independence 25 Celebrations. West Indies Power donated the funds to build the bus stop in Cotton Ground while National Piling donated the Round About at Cotton Ground. I have not heard anything yet from Surrey Paving but I expect them to soon follow suit. While these are all foreign companies who have recently entered Nevis, there have been some companies that have given and given and given over the years. In my humble opinion, Cable and Wireless and TDC have out-given everyone. They have contributed to various sporting, cultural and educational competitions and activities. In addition they also have a longstanding scholarship program for various students. Other companies such as The Bank Of Nevis International, Digicel and Social Security have also been in the forefront with their generosity. I cannot forget other companies like The Nevis Co-operative Credit Union, Hamoron Services, LEFCO Nevis, National Bank, Deon and Associates, Island Tyres and Hardware, Horsfords, RBTT, Gulf Insurance, Caribbean Cable Commincations, First Caribbean International Bank, Scotia Bank, Four Seasons Group of Companies, Montpelier Nevis, Development Bank, Nevlec, Nisbetts, Nevis Multi-line, Oualie Beach Hotel, Beyond Homes, Carino Nevis and others have also been more than helpful with their sizeable and regular contributions to a myriad of social and academic causes. Recently it has been a joy to see Scotia Bank going to the Flambuoyant Home and making the residents there feel special. I am also impressed with The Bank of Nevis Ltd have been almost inexorable in their contributions in the last year by sponsoring the first ever Under 13 Summer Cricket Camp, the Flambuoyant Home, the Christian Life Club and even the Men’s Health Clinic in Gingerland. It is programs like these that make me feel glad that I invest the little shillings I have with the Bank of Nevis.
There are also instances of companies who give who do not want their names to be mentioned for one reason or the other and these nameless donors must also be commended. I believe that it is time that the NIA follows the lead of other governments by giving tax breaks to business who contribute regularly and significantly to charity. This would not only encourage the good corporate citizens mentioned above to give more but also encourage those who never give to open their cheque books. There can be no praise too high for the above mentioned companies and I can personally attest because of my unique position how timely their contributions have been in turning ideas into a reality. The benefit to these kind companies is that people are always more inclined to patronize businesses who give back to their community.
Although there have been some good corporate citizens, there is still need for much more. It appears that the companies and professions that make the most money are not so prominent when it comes to giving back to the community. Lawyers and doctors make hundreds of thousands of dollars every year and have the best homes with the best vehicles. How often have you heard of a doctor or lawyer who is not in politics sponsoring any kind of competition, social or sporting group, sporting event, or social program? The last two years the economic growth that St Kitts and Nevis has made has been primarily attributable to “expansion in the construction industry”. However how many construction companies who are responsible for building million dollar villas and the like have you heard who contribute to anything in the community? We are told in Nevis that apart from tourism, that the offshore services industry is critical to our economy. Every year millions of dollars are reported in revenue for the NIA as a direct result of these offshore companies. Apart from a few of these offshore companies, why then do we hardly hear about these offshore companies as it relates to making significant donations to community development or piloting programs to advance the society? We know that banks, telephone companies and hotels make money but no one can say that they have not given back to their communities. Sadly though, the same cannot be said of doctors, lawyers, construction firms and offshore companies. Have they become so obsessed with avarice that they forget “the least of these”? It is these businesses that need to be taxed and re-taxed by the NIA.
While I do not support giving to charity based on caprice, I believe that the burdens that certain businesses have to carry year after year can be lessened while more can be done if other people give. In this time where more and more young people are turning to a life of nefarious activity, it is incumbent on corporate Nevis to do their part to combat this activity by providing avenues for positive involvement. There are still children returning to school whose parents cannot provide lunch for them daily. There are still some people who refuse to go to school because they do not have any or enough uniforms. There are still some young sportsmen with no money to buy their respective sports gear or to go overseas for tournaments. There are a host of social programs and groups that can be enhanced with funding such as the Nevis Boys Choir, HOPE Nevis, schools who need donations, sporting groups et al. Will the corporate world continue to turn a blind eye to a society who desperately needs it help or will they like a good Samaritan be moved with compassion to stop and aid an ailing situation? Your guess is as good as mine.
