Local group MRI6 has made it possible for the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPRBA) and the Special Olympics SVG to fund initiatives on their 2015 agenda.

On Tuesday, the MRI6, a group that hosts social events and donates the proceeds to worthy causes, donated $10,000 to each {{more}}of the entities to fund various projects.

It is expected that the NPRBA will use funds to upgrade and enhance the plant propagation capacity at the Botanic Gardens Nursery, while the donation to the Special Olympics SVG will fuel the participation of local athletes in the Special Olympic World Games, scheduled for the end of July in Los Angeles, USA.

Derry Williams, a founding member of MRI6 told persons present on Tuesday that since the group’s formation in 2009, they have been able to donate to various causes in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The group, which is also known as the Friends of Jazz, raises funds for causes in this country by hosting popular social events, including the Carnival Escape all-inclusive fete, which will be hosted on June 28 this year, at the Balcombe’s Estate.

“The surpluses generated from the event over the years have been deployed in making donations to various public service initiatives,” Williams said.

“We wish to take this opportunity to express very special thanks to all of our loyal supporters, individuals and corporate entities over the years. We look forward to continuing support of this event, which not only provides a great Carnival experience, but also serves to contribute to the effort to support worthy causes in our community.”

Chair of Special Olympics SVG Sir Errol Allen thanked MRI6 for their contribution towards the movement’s goal of taking part in the Special Olympics World Games in July.

Allen noted that the donation has served to remind them that they are on target with their plans.

“We have had a very challenging time in raising $180,000 for this project. We have been on a long and winding road and you know long and winding roads, sometimes you don’t know where they lead to, but we are confident that we are in the right direction,” he said.

The SVG Special Olympics chair expressed hope that this donation will encourage more members of the corporate community to support their cause as well.

Like Allen, the chair of the NPRBA, Gideon Nash, also made a call for corporate entities to become more involved in worthy causes.

According to Nash, this donation is one way of helping to stem the leakage of foreign exchange out of St Vincent and the Grenadines and thanked MRI6 for donating to the Botanic Gardens. The chair, who is also the managing director of plant company Nature Care, revealed that millions of dollars are spent each year on the importation of ornamental and other plants into this country.

“Nature Care, of which I am the managing director, in 2009, we imported no less than three 40 ft containers of plants and seven 20 ft containers of plants. In total, we have imported the 10 container loads of plants, amounting to millions of dollars. And that is only in Mustique. From my knowledge also of importation of plants into Canouan, a similar story can be [told],” he said.

“I say all this to make the point that your contribution today should not only improve and develop the nursery at Botanical Gardens and hence increase production of ornamental and other plants, but also it goes a long way in helping to stem the leakage of foreign exchange out of St Vincent and the Grenadines.”(BK)