Students and Schools Benefit from FCCA Foundation Children’s Essay Competition

Pembroke Pines, FL (August 12, 2016) - The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 FCCA Foundation Children’s Essay Competition. The competition invites students from schools around the Caribbean and Latin America to submit essays and then awards the students and schools to help further their education. In total, this year’s contest will provide nearly $20,000 to the participating students and their schools.

“There is nothing more fulfilling than helping children, and I am proud of all the ways the FCCA Foundation achieves this,” said Michele Paige, President, FCCA. “The Essay Competition is particularly special because it directly benefits children’s futures and encourages them to continue striving in their scholastic endeavors, while helping their schools develop more exceptional students.”

This year’s essay contest attracted entries from 21 countries, who wrote what they would want to see and do in their destination as a cruise passenger. All the essays showcased the students’ excellence in writing, as well as knowledge of their destination and the ability to entice the FCCA readers to experience new things.

Understandably, it was difficult to choose winners, but first, second and third place was awarded to participants from the junior division, consisting of students between nine- and 12-years-old, and the senior division, featuring students between 13 and s16. The 2014 winners are:

First place in the junior division was Janae Elisha Rodriguez from Belize, and Jacinth Hunkins from St. Maarten took the gold in the senior division. The first-place winners and their schools will receive $3,000 academic scholarships, and the winners and a chaperone will be invited to accept their prizes at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference & Trade Show Opening Ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, September 26.

Second place in the junior division was Danny Kish from Cayman Islands, and Hailey Morris from St. Kitts earned the honors in the senior division. Second-place winners and their schools will receive $1,500 scholarships.

Third place in the junior division was Jordan Fleming from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Alanis Matos Plá from Puerto Rico took bronze in the senior division. Third-place winners and their schools will receive $1,000 scholarships.

To reward all the students and schools for their great efforts, all other finalists and their schools will receive $200 scholarships.

The FCCA and the FCCA Foundation is proud to offer opportunities like these to assist the youths in its partner destinations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

About the FCCA Foundation
The FCCA Foundation provides a tangible mechanism for the cruise industry to fund a range of humanitarian causes in Caribbean and Latin American destinations. Since its establishment in 1993, the Foundation has benefited thousands of citizens by providing funding and countless hours to causes and charities throughout the regions. In addition to assisting deserving institutions like charities and hospitals and aiding during crises like natural disasters, the Foundation executes annual projects, including the Holiday Gift Project, which delivers thousands of presents and smiles to underprivileged children during the holiday season, and poster and essay competitions to award students and schools.