FOE 2021 Midyear Update

Friends of Exuma incorporated as a U.S. 501(c)(3) charity in the Fall of 2020 establishing itself in the Exuma community. Our mission includes supporting local charities and clubs that foster preserving the environment through conservation, sustainable living, youth development, cultural preservation, and community relief. We developed partnerships with several local Exuma charities, and we follow the rules for a U.S. “friends of” charity to help ensure that donor funds are put to good use. As we continue to vet new charitable endeavors, progress to date with existing programs include:

Youth Development

Exuma Sailing Club

The Exuma Sailing Club (ESC) was founded in 2013 by Dallas and Tamara Knowles. It has had an active first half of 2021. In February, ESC hosted the Bahamas Optimist National Sailing Championships, the largest junior sailing event ever hosted in Exuma. The event welcomed sailing clubs from Nassau and Eleuthera with over 50 junior sailors participating.

The high visibility and quality of sailing of the Optimist National Championships sparked a boost in interest in joining the Exuma Sailing Club from local youth. The club has recently added 19 new members bringing the total membership to 40 members. The national championships also placed a focus on the importance of boosting the club’s “Opti” fleet and training. In April, ESC hosted the third annual ESC Regatta. Prior to the event, a four-day sailing clinic was led by well-known Nassau sailing coach, Robert Dunkley. The clinic and Regatta were both great successes. Other first half 2021 highlights included the gift of a 43-foot trawler motor yacht which the club will use for transportation and lodging when attending off-island regattas.  Also, during the first half of 2021, all sailing vessels in the club’s fleet were repaired and updated for future use.

The second half of 2021 goals include an upgrade to the “Opti” fleet with two new boats added, continuing to maintain the C and E class fleets, increasing club membership with new competitive sailors, hosting a learning to sail camp in August, and racing in two or three additional regattas. Financially, the ESC is on solid standing with the Friends of Exuma and the Bahamas Ministry of Agriculture being the two largest financial supporters.

ESC's goal is to teach the youth of Exuma the discipline of sailing while preserving the tradition of Bahamian sloop sailing. “Preserving the past while building the future.”

Nelson Ranger Junior Tennis Program

The newly-organized Nelson Ranger Junior Tennis Program has had a busy and productive first half of 2021. Tennis clinics are being held 3 to 4 times per month averaging 25 to 30 players per clinic. Clinics are run by volunteer instructors each Saturday for juniors ages 7 to 17 years old. Clinic sessions are one and a half hours in length and are being held at the February Point tennis courts in Georgetown.

Friends of Exuma has donated equipment, including rackets, balls, and a ball machine to the program. An all-day summer tennis camp was held from June 30 through July 3rd.

This tennis program offers an opportunity for Exuma's youth to experience a competitive sports environment that otherwise would not be available. Instruction teaches structured discipline and social skills through organized individual and team play.

Nelson Ranger also founded and runs a Junior Golf Program, partnering with Sandals Resort Emerald Bay, and has been operating since 2008. The Nelson Ranger Junior Tennis program fits into the Friends of Exuma’s youth development goal having been identified as a critical need for the people of Exuma.

Community Relief

St. Andrews Food and Housing Community Relief Program

St. Andrews Church organized and implemented a food and housing outreach program to help struggling Exuma families during the Covid-19 pandemic. Friends of Exuma has funded this program since our inception in the fall of 2020. The program includes distributing food vouchers as well as rent and utility payment assistance on a monthly basis. Approximately 200 Exuma families are currently receiving aid through this outreach program.

Cultural Preservation

Run for Pompey Event and Scholarship Fund

November 13, 2021, Friends of Exuma is supporting this running event to establish an annual event and support a scholarship fund for LN Coakley High School. 

Conservation

Elizabeth Harbour Partnership/The Bahamas National Trust

These separate organizations are working together to develop a holistic plan to improve water quality and restore habitats in Elizabeth Harbour and Moriah Harbour Cay National Park. Friends of Exuma has provided funding to The Elizabeth Harbour Partnership to develop a strategic and financial plan that will improve the management of Elizabeth Harbour’s natural resources. We intend to support initiatives for both organizations as they are developed over the next year and beyond. 

Other Initiatives

The Friends of Exuma board is considering other initiatives as they are presented to board members. We seek to accommodate both donors and the community. 

Letter from the founders

Friends of Exuma was started in late 2020 to fill a need and make a difference in the Exuma community that we are fortunate to be a part of. As investors in on the island, we wanted to contribute more for the long-term benefit of Exuma, and help others do the same.  

The catalyst for us to get started was an appreciation and concern for Exuma’s natural environment. We believe that conserving and protecting the beauty and ecosystems of Exuma is not only good for nature, but good for the people and economy. As growth and development accelerate on the island, it’s time to be proactive in supporting initiatives that will help manage the inevitable impacts on the environment. Over the next year, we expect to assist in many projects around Elizabeth Harbour and the Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, as well as other initiatives that promote sustainability in our daily lives.   

While we see our major efforts to be centered around supporting conservation and environmental sustainability, we realize that fundraising assistance is needed by many organizations in the Exuma community that are doing good works. So, we developed a shortlist of categories for our support that include conservation and sustainable living, but also youth development, cultural preservation, and community relief. We will seek to identify and provide momentum for locally-led projects and programs that fall into these categories by offering a way for US donors to make tax-deductible donations.

Becoming a trusted organization happens over time by operating with transparency and credibility. We will have quarterly board meetings and provide regular updates. We are a volunteer organization with no paid staff and are proud to keep our overhead low, so donations are used for the benefit of the initiatives we support. Please review our midyear update, you’ll see that we are already providing a positive impact within the community.  

Thank you to Bill Sanford, our treasurer, and co-founder of the organization who spent many years developing and supporting a computer program in the Exuma schools.  Also, thanks to Chris Joest and Bev Brigner who had enough faith to join the board when it was an idea, and to those who have jumped in with some initial donations and input. And thank you to Catherine Booker of the Bahamas National Trust for volunteering her time to guide us in supporting initiatives that will make a difference.

Please consider being an annual donor to our organization at a $1000 level to our general fund.  You can also designate to the organizations we have already vetted.  From time to time, we will also seek additional donations for specific initiatives, but one step at a time.  And your ideas are always welcome as we evolve.  

Thank you,

Bob Coughlin

President and Co-founder 

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