I have been involved in the business of charity for the past two years while living in Anguilla. Upon arrival to here, I was under the impression that my job would be as a tennis professional teaching children and giving lessons to guests at Cuisinart Resort and Spa. Little did I know that the job would soon convert itself from a sports oriented position to the running of a charitable organization.

It was tough learning the ropes of how to fundraise, liaise with sponsors, give recognition to people who have helped and continue to keep focused on the goal which, in my case, was the development of children. When one operates any charity on any level, there is always a great deal of people who make things happen. In my opinion, there is never one person who has made it all happen as there are many people behind the scenes that get involved to bring any project or goal to fruition.

In terms of this, it has always been a challenge to give due recognition to everyone involved and often times, by mistake, someone gets left out when a presenter or writer is making the rounds by thanking people. I have been approached on more than one occasion by various people who have helped with the charity in which I am involved who were, for some reason or another, left out when it came time to giving appreciation. Some have just merely informed me or people on the staff politely and then we have later corrected the problem. But, there have been others who have been quite angry that they were not highlighted in some way. This is always unfortunate as an organizer because in no way does one intentionally omit another who is deserving of recognition. However, I must question the motives of people who want to give support either financially, in kind, or in volunteer work solely based on the fact that they want recognition.

All too often, people get so caught up in a job or a task that they lose sight of the reason why these organizations exist. As I said earlier, there are many worthwhile projects in which members of the Anguillian, regional or international community can get involved. As Anguilla is still a developing nation, it is vital that there be people who want to help as volunteers, financial contributors, or give gifts in kind. I simply want to give a reminder that all these charities are worthwhile and have serious goals to make serious change, and it is vital that people help for the right reasons. If you help only to receive recognition, then your motives are unfocused and could in the end detract from the goal at hand. When sponsors or volunteers demand more attention, it is attention taken away from the charity itself.

Finally, I urge all members of the global community to become involved with one or more of the many charities in the world and more specifically in Anguilla. But please, do it for the right reasons.

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