ONE Eleuthera Community News

Greetings Friends,

I’m ecstatic to be back in your inbox sharing the good news of OEF’s continued progress, recent wins, and ambitious plans to continue uplifting and strengthening the people and communities we serve.

With summer gone and fall’s change of season spurring us on, we’ve been busy at OEF tilling the soil and carefully planting seeds, both literally and figuratively, in anticipation of a bountiful future harvest. It’s all part of the plan.

As we approach year-end, I am exceedingly glad that our organization’s strategic 5-year plan exists. It has been the guiding force in helping us prioritize and accelerate through many of this past year’s challenges. We are proud that OEF has withstood every test! We’ve been agile enough to adapt and respond to our community’s greatest needs during an unprecedented period in our world’s history while remaining centered on the mission.

As you’ll read here, the external construction of our 1.1-acre Cravo Cooling House is completed! The Studio Project is building momentum and progressing through the final stages of design and development and our school (CTI) continues to innovate its programming to best serve the educational and training needs of young adults in our community. However, none of this significant work could’ve been accomplished without your generous donations and unwavering support. Your partnership has always been key.

We will continue to plan and innovate for a sustainable future for Eleuthera while strengthening and connecting our people, communities, and partners. We look forward to continuing this remarkable journey with you!

With deep gratitude,

Shaun Ingraham
President & CEO, One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF)
Chairman, Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI)

GIVE A GIFT TODAY!

THE RETREAT EARNS
“CLEAN & PRISTINE” DESIGNATION
FROM THE BAHAMAS MINISTRY OF TOURISM

We are proud to announce that our training hotel, The Retreat Hotel at CTI, has passed the inspections and protocol verifications to attain the official badge and designation of a “Clean & Pristine” hotel destination from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism.

This mandatory certification ensures that hotels in the country are fully utilizing the correct protocols and employing adequate safety and sanitization procedures to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

The Retreat is in full compliance with the Health and Safety Program as outlined in The Bahamas Tourism Readiness and Recovery Plan. We continue to take every precaution to deliver a clean and safe environment for our guests, students and staff.

To make a reservation email: retreat@oneeleuthera.org or call 1-242-802-6566 or 242-470-8228

FRESH FROM THE FARM

Our signature farmer’s market is gearing up for another successful season. Preparations are underway to welcome back over two dozen local farmers and vendors to showcase and sell their fresh produce and locally made products at our Rock Sound campus on November 13th.

Since its inception, this bi-monthly event has assisted our local

partners in bringing their wares to a much broader market, while creating a signature experiential event that delights residents and tourists.

Together we’re building a collaborative community of entrepreneurs, farmers, and vendors working together to promote healthy eating and to support the local farming industry and our island’s economy.

“We’ Farmers Market” returns on November 13th, 2021″

Food Security Strides: Take in a bird’s eye view of our majestic
Cravo Cooling House. Click the video at the end of our newsletter to enjoy a virtual fly-over of this 1.1-acre masterpiece.

Phase 2: Proposed Food Hub which will encompass an on-site processing plant, packing house, grow room, plant tissue culture lab and classroom.

We are celebrating another milestone on the journey toward achieving our food security goals! The external construction on our Cravo Cooling House (CCH) is finally complete.

Our Reverse Osmosis (RO) system and hydroponics equipment are en route to our farm in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. Very soon we’ll be outfitting our 1.1-acre Cravo grow house with the necessary farming equipment and tools for our very first planting season slated for January of 2022.

In recent weeks we’ve made infrastructural upgrades and installed a new 600 amp service transformer. Our ground team is moving ahead with the electrical installation, which will power the mechanical system and the Cravo’s revolutionary retractable roof and walls. Additionally, we are working diligently to complete the build-out of three 350,000 gallon water tanks. These massive receptacles will collect and store rainwater to supply the

Cravo and our entire farm. Our expansive water tanks and reverse osmosis system will ensure that the hydroponic crops and ground crops grown on our farm will have a sustainable water supply during Eleuthera’s moderate dry spells.

We are also in the process of fundraising for our accompanying “Food Hub,” which is the next phase in the development of our grand vision. The Food Hub will encompass an on-site processing plant, packing house, grow room, plant tissue culture lab, and classroom. The Food Hub will work in tandem with the Cravo Cooling House to prepare our harvest to go to market as fresh produce and shelf-stable, added-value products. In addition, our classroom space will grant local farmers access to share in the knowledge, training, and farming best practices and processing techniques being developed.

The Cravo’s retractable roof and walls control the climatic conditions inside the grow house reducing heat, rain and wind exposure while maintaining the optimum environment for plants to thrive and grow.

Genie Lifts like this one can be used to reach plants in
vertical hydroponic columns stacked up to 12ft. high.

Join our mission to achieve food security
and improve community access to healthy food.

GIVE A GIFT

LEADING OUR FARM OPERATION…

Farm Leadership Team: L to R: Deon Gibson, Agricultural Manager | Dr. Selima Hauber, Farm Consultant | Tim Hauber, Cooling House Operations Officer |

Our FREE Learn-to-Swim Program recently resumed with students from across Eleuthera completing their water safety and entry-level swimming course at our 25-meter campus pool.

The program offered a safe environment and structured program for students ranging from 4 to 53 to learn the basics of swimming and gain their confidence in and around the water.

This signature OEF summer program started on July 13th, with 46 students but was suspended for a couple of weeks due to an island-wide spike in COVID-19 cases. Erring on the side of caution and in an effort to ensure the safety of our students, teachers and volunteers the classes were deferred.

On September 27th, we happily welcomed back the cohort to complete the last two weeks of the program and participate in a virtual graduation exercise where they received digital copies of their program completion certificates.

Appreciation is extended to our local, expert swimming instructors, Melissa Sweeting and Allison Dean for facilitating the lessons.

Special thanks also go out to Kim Shults with Face in Water (based in San Diego) and Alissa Magrum with Colin’s Hope (based in Austin) for facilitating the donation of more than $2,000 in swim gear for our students including but not limited to swim caps, kickboards, floaties, goggles, and water safety educational materials.

We are looking forward to collaborating with Kim and Alissa to support next summer’s program which we anticipate to run from April to August.

Given that we are an archipelago nation surrounded by water and prone to hurricane-related sea surges, our ultimate goal is to avoid unnecessary drownings by ensuring that residents of all ages have access to regular, free swimming lessons.

You can help support future Learn-to-Swim community programs.

BECOME A FINANCIAL SPONSOR

We are excited about a future “OEF Swim Mission” with Kim Shults (Face in Water -based in San Diego) and Alissa Magrum (Colin’s Hope – based in Austin). Sending you both a heartfelt “thank you”
for your kind donation of swim gear for our students.
We can’t wait to host you on Eleuthera soon!

HOT OFF THE PRESS! Our latest Annual Report FULL CIRCLE is on the way. We’re excited to document the incredible strides our organization has made this fiscal year and give you a more in-depth look at some of our revolutionary projects and programs. Learn how our efforts are benefitting our communities and what’s next on the horizon.
To request a digital copy, or enquire about securing a hard copy email:
contact@oneeleuthera.org

MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS:

During August we spent some time supporting our staff and community with information and lively discussions around Mental Health Wellness. In a four-part series shared every Monday on our Youtube Channel our Chief Communications Officer, Yolanda Pawar, and in-house Wellness Consultant, Stephen Thompson created a safe space to talk about Avoiding Workplace Burnout, Managing Stress, Grief & COVID-19 Fatigue, Handling Toxic Relationships and more. If you missed it, click on the video at the end of this newsletter to watch.

CTI GEARS UP TO OFFER NEW
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSE!

The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is preparing to launch an exciting new Professional Development Program for students residing in North Eleuthera.

The 6-week program will be operated in partnership with CTI-HITS and will target former graduates as well as young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 years looking to enhance their personal and professional skills.

Students will be required to take two core modules: Creating A Dynamite Resume & Portfolio, and Entrepreneurship 101, and one elective. Electives include Customer Service Training, Building An Online Business and Personal Development Bootcamp.

Students successfully completing this program will be eligible to submit a business plan and compete for their share of $20,000 in grant funding to launch their own business. Since the launch of the CTI-HITS partnership two years ago, eighty students based in North Eleuthera have graduated. The program maintains a 95% course completion rate. To date there have been four cohorts of culinary students, three cohorts of electrical students and one cohort of carpentry students.

Plans are in motion to expand the CTI-HITS course offering based on current workforce skill gaps and emerging entrepreneurial opportunities that can benefit students while strengthening and diversifying the local economy.

For more information email: registrar@oneeleuthera.org

ONE STEP CLOSER: “THE STUDIO FOR AFFORDABLE & SUSTAINABLE HOUSING PROJECT”

School is back in session and our university design students are back at their stations, and hard at work putting the finishing touches on our new, soon-to-be-finalized home prototypes for The Studio  for Affordable  & Sustainable Housing (“The Studio Project”).

The economic challenges that Bahamians face in acquiring climate-resilient, reasonably priced homes are well known. OEF is seeking to help residents break through many of the existing barriers to homeownership with The Studio Project.

This semester design students are working alongside industry professionals to refine their unique, innovative, resilient, and affordable home prototypes.

This project is a partnership between faculty, students and professionals representing One Eleuthera Foundation, Michael Singer Studios and the architecture/design departments of three universities: the University of North Carolina – Charlotte (UNCC), Florida A&M University (FAMU) and the University of The Bahamas (UB).

SEEP VOLUNTEERS RECEIVE
SPECIALIZED LIFE-SAVING TRAINING

TRAINING ALERT: On August 13th, South Eleuthera Emergency Partners (SEEP) was joined by the Health Association of Central Eleuthera (HACE) for in-person training on the use of specialized emergency medical equipment and devices. These included: SAM Pelvic Splints, the Kendrick Extrication Device (KED) used for victims of traffic collisions and those presenting with neck and back pain after traumas, Bone Guns, Supraglottic Airways (igels) for ventilation and oxygenation and Tourniquets which are used to stop the loss of blood from deep wounds in the limbs in order to save a life. The training was conducted by expert trainer and Parademic, Mr. Jai Leal from Family Medicine Center in Rock Sound.

THE ELEUTHERA ARTS & CULTURAL CENTER PREPARES FOR 2022

COMING SOON…
The Eleuthera Arts & Cultural Center is expanding its staff and community programming. Stay tuned for future updates on exciting developments taking place at the EACC in Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera.

MAKE US A PART OF YOUR
YEAR-END GIVING!

This past year has been another challenging one for The Bahamas. As we approach the holidays and Season of Giving, we hope that you will consider making a donation to OEF. Every amount – whether $10 or $10,000 – allows us to impact the people of Eleuthera through our many different programs and partners.

Thank you for allowing us to be a source of support,
opportunity and hope!

Key highlights of 2020/21:

training of 96 students in apiology, culinary, carpentry and hydroponics through our Learn and Earn Program and CTI-Harbour Island Training School;
providing more than 8,000 persons on Eleuthera with ongoing food assistance in partnership with the Bahamas National Food Distribution Task Force;
launching construction on our 1-acre Cravo Cooling House, the first of its kind in The Bahamas;
supporting over 38 non-profit organizations as they navigated registration under new Bahamian legislation;
strengthening five local community partners’ strategic plans and budgets through our Social Enterprise Accelerator; and
developing our first prototype of a sustainable and affordable housing model in partnership with UNC-Charlotte, Florida A&M University and University of The Bahamas.

There’s so much more to be done but we know we can do it with your help!

GIVE A GIFT

In June of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OEF was appointed as a food distribution Zone Leader for the island of Eleuthera. Working in partnership with the National Food Distribution Task Force, OEF assisted in establishing an island-wide food distribution network providing food vouchers and hand-packed food parcels to residents. The program ran for seventy weeks until September 2021. During this time OEF provided urgent, ongoing food assistance and distributed over 39,000 vouchers to households and residents in need. As the program comes to an end, we wish to thank all of our partners, donors, supporters, and volunteers who contributed to this critical community-feeding initiative.