14 April 2016 marked the 4th year since the establishment of the St David branch of the SSU Fitness Club. The club coordinated a week of activities to celebrate this milestone and also undertook some community improvement initiatives in their parish.
On Saturday 16 April, the Club hosted a fundraiser concert at the St David’s RC School, to raise monies towards the refurbishment of the Belle Vue community library, situated within a very short walking distance from the St David’s RC School.
The concert which began at 6:30pm, was well-attended by the wider community and featured performances from over 20 local calypsonians, soca stars and dance and music groups from within the parish of St David and across Grenada.
Ruth Bailey, the St David Parish representative for the 2016 Spicemas Carnival Queen Show, attended the event and made a special donation of classic children’s books which she collected over the past few weeks. “Reading is one of the fundamental building blocks in the education of children and is required in so many aspects of our society. I hope that the donation of these books will benefit the children of the St David’s RC School and the community, teach them new things and develop their imaginations so that they become aware of all the possibilities this world can hold for them” Ms Bailey commented. She also expressed her desire to continue playing an active role in various community projects across the parish of St David.
Debbie Antoine, Vice President and Treasurer of the St. David SSU Fitness Club, thanked Ms Bailey for her welcome contribution and commented on the fundraiser initiative. “The community library is operational, but sorely in need of repair and upgrading. We intend to replace the windows and doors, some of which are being sponsored by Flow, undertake general repairs and maintenance, provide computers that the children in the community can use to do research for school papers and modernize the library. We hope to accomplish this and more in the upcoming months and encourage all, but especially the children in the community, to return to using the library on a regular basis” she stated.
The SSU Fitness Club — St David, has historically contributed to several community projects in the Parish, including the repainting of the Belle Vue Medical Station, painting of speed bumps and building of houses for deserving members of the community, as well as making donations to several schools in the parish.