Sunwing Foundation Begins Construction on Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution in Jamaica

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - April 29, 2015) - The Sunwing Foundation is delighted to announce that building work began last week on the charitable initiative's first project -- the funding and construction of a new, state of the art school in Trelawny, Jamaica in collaboration with Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation and Food For The Poor Canada.

Representatives from Sunwing Travel Group's corporate head office in Toronto were joined on April 20^th and April 21^st by a team of volunteers from Royalton White Sands and NexusTours, (part of Sunwing Travel Group's operation in Jamaica) to help with the construction of Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution. Directed by a professional building contractor, the group lent a hand with painting, undertook some heavy lifting and basic carpentry.

Also present at the build this week was internationally-acclaimed Toronto-based rapper Kardinal Offishall, whose parents are both from the island. Offishall said he "didn't think twice" about dedicating his free time to "giving back to the place that gave so much to me" adding, "I commend Sunwing for having this as the first project for their Foundation and giving back to the community in a sincere and organic way."

Samantha Mahfood, Executive Director, Food For The Poor Canada added, "There is so much need in Jamaica for a school like this one. Food For The Poor is delighted to partner with Sunwing Foundation to improve the quality of education in Jamaica. The Sunwing Foundation has invested US$85,000 in this project to cover the construction of the school, playground, fencing, water supply, furniture and kitchen. Once complete, the school will also stand a better chance in meeting Jamaica's requirements for early childhood education -- something that could not have been accomplished before due to the lack of facilities in the present location.

It was wonderful seeing how happy the children were watching the school being built and knowing that people are interested in working for them. When I walked up to the school today, they greeted me with huge hugs, it's simply amazing."

Stephen Hunter, President, Sunwing Travel Group, also commented "It is very rewarding to be able to assist the Parish of Trelawny in such a meaningful way. We employ many people who live in the area and want the children of their community to have the best access to proper and safe educational facilities. The Sunwing Foundation was created for projects exactly like this one. Funded by Sunwing Travel Group, together with 'loose change' donations from customers on northbound Sunwing Airlines flights, 100% of all the funds we receive are passed on to support charitable initiatives such as this project. We are delighted to have had our start with our first project to promote a sustainable improvement within local youth development and education and look forward to participating on other opportunities in the near future."

Construction on the school is expected to be complete in time for the beginning of the new 2015/16 academic year, when the currently enrolled 75 children and three teaching staff can look forward to starting the new school year in a modern and well-appointed building. The new school will be secure and furnished with all necessary educational modules including desks, teaching materials, books, computer and printer, toys and playground equipment. Additionally, the school will include proper water sanitation equipment and kitchen facilities where hot meals can be prepared for the students.

For more information on the Sunwing Foundation, please visit www.sunwingfoundation.com

About Sunwing Foundation

A charitable initiative established by the Hunter family, the Sunwing Foundation reflects the Sunwing Travel Group's enduring commitment to the support and development of youth in the communities where it operates in the form of project funding and the transport of humanitarian aid. The Sunwing Foundation passes on 100% of the charitable donations it raises to the communities that need it the most, funding educational and skills development projects to provide a direct, impactful and sustainable improvement to quality of life for years to come."

About Sunwing Travel Group

One of the largest integrated travel businesses in North America, Sunwing Travel Group is comprised of Sunwing Vacations, the leading leisure tour operator in Canada; Sunwing Airlines, Canada's premier leisure airline; Signature Vacations, one of Canada's leading tour operators for all inclusive package vacations and Vacation Express, the fastest growing tour operator in the United States together with the Group's own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Blue Diamond Resorts is the Sunwing Travel Group's own hotel management company, an innovative organization that operates popular resort brands like Royalton Luxury Resorts, Memories, CHIC All Exclusive, and Starfish, across the Caribbean, Cuba and Mexico; while NexusTours provides destination management services to individuals, agencies, tour groups, corporate businesses and tour operators.

About Food for the Poor Canada

Food for the Poor Canada works in development and aid in the Caribbean and Latin America with a focus on Jamaica and Haiti, FFPC is an affiliated agency to Food for the Poor Inc. (USA), the largest international relief and development agency in the United States with programs of close to $1 billion dollars yearly and a 95% efficiency ratio. FFPC works with partners in the region and through 3 affiliated charities: Food for the Poor Haiti, Food for the Poor Jamaica and Food for the Poor Guyana -- these organizations are in charge of project management and distribution of goods through churches, hospitals and schools, and community leaders that work directly with the poor. Please visit www.foodforthepoorcanada.com to learn more.

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