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by: Virnet St. Omer-Fontenelle

NCF telethon team survey Pigeon Island Side Lawn to far right NCF Chairperson Emma Hippolyte, fourth from right Coordinator of NCF Relle Hippolyte

Saint Lucia, February 06, 2004 – Since it’s inception a little over a year ago the National Community Foundation (NCF) has spent over three hundred thousand dollars on its programmes of assistance.

Funding for the work of the NCF comes from chief benefactor the National Insurance Corporation, the Bank of Saint Lucia, LUCELEC other corporate sponsors and individual donors.

Last year the NCF introduced the telethon in an effort to augment financing of its programmes. As part of activities to mark the 25th Anniversary of Saint Lucia’s Independence, the NCF is for the second year, hosting the telethon to be held at the Pigeon Island Side Lawn on Sunday twenty-ninth February from one in the afternoon to seven in the evening.

The foundation has distributed to it’s scholarship programme over two hundred thousand dollars, medical support in excess of ninety-two thousand dollars and funding for its elderly, homeless and youth at risk programmes totalling over thirty five thousand dollars.

Coordinator of the NCF Mrs. Relle Hippolyte says they are inundated with calls for help. She says they would like to assist everyone who comes to the foundation for support but she says invariably the demand outstrips the NCF’s capacity. The telethon she says is one of the foundations major activities to encourage donations from more than just the corporate community but all who would like to contribute both at home and away.

A co-sponsor of the telethon is Cable and Wireless. Again this year the company will be providing operators to man telephones, the internet lines to facilitate online contributions, and will work with the National Television Network NTN for a live webcast while NTN will broadcast live to Saint Lucia.

This year’s telethon will feature a number of popular calypsonians including Gillo, Ashanti, the Mighty Mighty, the local cowboy Shervon Sealy and Star Quest winner Emrand Henry.

For further information contact Relle Hippolyte at (758) 453-6661