Students and Schools in the Caribbean and Latin America Awarded by the FCCA Foundation Children’s Essay Competition

Miramar, Fla. (September 5, 2019) –The FCCA Foundation, the charitable arm of Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 FCCA Foundation Children’s Essay Competition. The annual competition again invited students from schools around the Caribbean and Latin America to submit essays, and then awarded both the students and schools to help further their education. In total, this year’s contest attracted 29 entries throughout 17 countries, and it will provide nearly $30,000 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 even more exceptional students.”

Participating schools from the Caribbean and Latin America prompted students to write essays responding to: “Many cruise passengers use cruising as a way to sample different destinations. What impression does my country leave on these passengers, and how does it or should it attract them back as stay-over guests?”
 
Those schools then submitted their respective finalists to represent the destination for the contest, with each destination allowed one finalist per age group – the junior division, consisting of students between nine- and 12-years-old, and the senior division, featuring students between 13 and 16. Those finalists were then then read and rated by a six-person panel, with the ratings averaged to award the first-, second- and third-place honors:

Junior Division:

Senior Division:

First-place winners and their schools will both receive $3,000 academic scholarships, and the winners and a chaperone will be invited to accept their prizes at the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show Opening Ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday, October 22.

Second-place medalists and their schools each receive $1,500 scholarships; third-place recipients and their schools will receive $1,000 scholarships; and all other finalists and respective schools will receive $200 scholarships to reward the fantastic efforts.  

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.