On behalf of the Bahamas Charitable Giving Foundation (BCGF), Gary Larson, Council Member, presents Chris Maxey with a gift that will help launch a new generation of Bahamian leaders. This will be a significant boost to ensure that our Bahamas Environmental Steward Scholars (BESS), Deep Creek Middle School students and all of our community partnership efforts will continue to flourish this academic year.
Gary was the Executive Director of the Bahamas National Trust for 20 years. He remains very involved in environmental and educational causes here in the Bahamas. His interest in the BESS program and in our other outreach programs stems from their ability to foster meaningful mentorship and educational opportunities for Bahamian students. The BCGF’s motive for granting this donation to Chris is just that – Gary feels that these programs offer incredibly unique and powerful experiences for future leaders of The Bahamas. Deep Creek Middle School provides space for 7th through 9th graders from all over Eleuthera to engage in both traditional and experiential education methods. The BESS program allows recent high school graduates from throughout The Bahamas to attend The Island School as well as to take part in an environmental conservation-related internship before pursuing further education or employment (the BESS Program is administered in collaboration with BREEF, Bahamas Reef Environmental Education Foundation). This generous gift will allow us to provide these experiences to even more deserving Bahamian students.