Nassau, The Bahamas. July 21, 2016. Inspired by the stories of Jonquel Jones and Chavano Hield, over the past two weeks the Bahamas Telecommunications Company, Limited (BTC) met with Eight Mile Rock and West End local leaders to determine what can be done to further the development of athletics. Today, BTC announced that it will provide a $100,000, five year scholarship to a deserving High School athlete from the Eight Mile Rock or West End, Grand Bahama communities to assist with the furtherance of sports development and education. BTC also announced a pending endorsement of a major athlete to be announced in September.
The scholarship will be called “The BTC Eight Mile Rock Sponsorship Fund.”
The announcement was made at BTC’s corporate Headquarters. CEO, Leon Williams said, “This is another “Blue Letter Day” for BTC. This is our way of building a Bahamian dream for a deserving young Bahamian. We are continuing to do our part to build a better Bahamas. We believe, it is our responsibility to continue to invest, in the future generations of this country, to ensure sustainability for years to come.”
In addition to the $100k scholarship, BTC will also invest $25,000 to renovate and update the park in the Pine Dale, Eight Mile Rock community, where the latest Bahamian NBA drafted athlete Chavano “Buddy” Hield played. CEO, Leon Williams said, “We have been watching Buddy’s career over the last year. Without a doubt, we knew that he would be where he is today. Our investment in the Eight Mile Rock Park, will serve as a symbol of hope for other youngsters aspiring to greatness.”
The Honourable Daniel Johnson, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture along with Mario Bowleg from the Basketball Federation were on hand to accept the contribution from BTC and stated that we was deeply moved by BTC’s contribution and he’s hopeful of things to come for his community.
BTC is deeply entrenched in youth, community and sports. Over the years, the company has supported track and field, flag football, basketball and swimming. Just yesterday, BTC presented a $125,000 cheque to The Bahamas Olympic Committee for Team Bahamas to travel to the Olympics in Rio, Brazil next month. BTC has been a sponsor of the Olympic Team since 2012. Three of the company’s endorsed athletes; Shaunae Miller, Demetrius Pinder and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace were officially announced as a part of the team.
Today, all six hundred fourteen staff members across The Bahamas wore tee shirts, as the Bahamas and BTC celebrated Chavano “Buddy” Hield’s recent accomplishment of being drafted to the NBA, in a symbol of support and encouragement.
ABOUT BTC: BTC is the first quad play provider in The Bahamas. The company offers a full suite of landline, internet, mobile and television services allowing customers to stay connected throughout The Bahamas. BTC is deeply rooted in community and supports a wide range of culture, youth, education and sporting initiatives. These include Junkanoo, Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival, IAAF/BTC World Relays and CARIFTA. BTC maintains a four year scholarship program with The College of The Bahamas and provides funding for the College’s endowment fund. Just recently, the company signed an agreement for the establishment of an Innovation Lab at the College. The company is jointly owned by Liberty Global and The Government of The Bahamas.
