FCCA ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF THE FOUNDATION FOR THE CARIBBEAN
CHILDREN'S ESSAY COMPETITION
August 29 , 2003
Pembroke Pines,
FL (August 29, 2003) The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) is
proud to announce the winners in the 2003 Foundation for the Caribbean
Childrens Essay Competition. Emmanuel Horsford, age 12 from Edith L. Williams
in St. Thomas and 15-year-old Chakara Bennett from Mangrove Cay High in
the Bahamas.
Students throughout the Caribbean wrote on the theme What Steps Has My Country Taken Towards Improving the Cruise Passengers Experience While in My Country. Participants were judged in two age categories: a junior division for children ages 12 years and under and a senior division for children ages 13-16 years.
Tropical Shipping offers a Cruise Conversion Program. I's a program in which a cruise ship passenger is given a pamphlet or booklet with a coin. This packaged coin can get a visitor to stay in a hotel for five (5) nights with two free for a total of seven nights, stated Emmanuel, as he describes one of the steps his country has taken towards improving the cruise passengers experience in his country.
First place winners, Emmanuel (junior division) and Chakara (senior division) will each receive an educational scholarship of US $2,500 with their schools receiving monetary grants of $1,250 each. In addition, each student will be invited to read their winning essays and accept their prizes at the FCCAs Caribbean Cruise Conference and Trade Show in St. Maarten, October 7-10, 2003. During their stay in St. Maarten each student will be able to enjoy the many festivities at the conference and be treated to a tour of the island. In 1995, Parliament passed the Cruise Ship (Overnighting Incentives) Act and this I think, is the most profound and most important improvement that has attracted cruise tourists... The act offers discounts on port tax My country has risen form the dust of the earth to the pinnacle in this industry. We have come a long way from being almost nonexistent to become a notable tourist destination, wrote Chakara Bennett of the Bahamas.
In
the junior division, 11-year-old Andrian Joseph from St. Maarten
won second place and Monique-Ann Harry; age 12 from St. Kitts emerged
as the third place winner. In the senior division, the second place
winner was Donavan Kellyman, age 13 from the Cayman Islands and 13-year-old
Attainea Toulon, from Dominica in third place. The second place winners
in their respective categories will each receive US $1,500 as well
as earning monetary grants of $750 for their schools. Third place
winners will be awarded $1,000 each, with $500 going to their schools.
In recognition of their efforts, each nation's entrant will receive
$200.
NOTE TO EDITORS: THE TEXT OF THE WINNING ESSAYS IS AVAILABLE ON
REQUEST