PHILIPSBURG:--- Recently the Sint Maarten Lions club, under the Youth & Education Committee invited all schools and Police cadets/recruits to the Lion's Den to receive a token of appreciation as part of our community Front liners.
The following is a short speech by the President of the Sint Maarten Lions Club, Lion Alphons Gumbs to all persons present:
“Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had an adverse effect on our education system and the way of life for all concern. Day-In-Day-out, many of you, our front liners have put your lives ahead of many to make sure our way of life is not affected, and we are kept safe.
In mid-March 2020, schools and teachers were forced to deviate from in-person learning to online learning. Online learning has fast-tracked to become the new norm of education for all levels of our educational system. During the past months, we were exposed to the many challenges many families faced with online schooling. We have seen the challenges the island has with an adequate internet connection and sufficient devices available to students to follow classes regularly. We note that online schooling would not have been a permanent situation and that at some point we would have to return to face to face learning. As we embraced our educators to accept our students back physically in school, the Sint Maarten Lions Club found it fitting that we could contribute to your overall safety.
Also, our Police Force and especially the cadet class, who are currently in training to take that big step in going out there on a daily basis to put their personal lives on the line to keep law & order while keeping all citizens of St. Maarten safe. We know it is a tough decision to go out there, not knowing who is affected, you and your families are constantly at risk of being infected with COVID-19.
Our Lions Club would like to say “Thank You” for all that you are doing in making sure our students are well educated and that our community is safe. On behalf of the board and members of the Sint Maarten Lions Club, we hereby would like to present you with our special design and personalized Sint Maarten Lions Clubface masks. We do hope that these face masks will be an addition to your safety as you carry out your daily duties in helping shape our young minds and protecting the community of St. Maarten”.
This project is part of the Sint Maarten Lions Club 50th Anniversary celebration for 2020-2021 under the them "50 Years of Dedicated Service and Commitment to our Community". The Sint Maarten Lions Club will celebrate 50 years of existence on December 12th as it was chartered on that very same day back in 1970.
