Columbus House Christmas

Hi All,

As many of you know, Rotary Club Of GB Sunrise runs a Big Brother Big Sister Youth Mentoring Program for Columbus House.  The program which has been running for over 15 years and focuses on the boys and girls ages 14 -1 7 who have been placed in Columbus house by Social Services to protect them from abusive and unacceptable living environments. The main goal of the Rotary Program is to provide positive adult role models and opportunities for healthy interaction outside their immediate environment. We have seen very positive results from this very valuable program.

The activities include:

Weekly Martial Arts Instruction and life skills

Weekly Conflict Management sessions with Rev Carey

Weekly Tutoring Programs

Individual Mentor Program with Rotarians

Monthly Group Activities

Transportation for all activities

Job Program for residents when they age out of the system

Christmas Gift Program

As Christmas is around the corner we are working on raising funds for

Christmas Trees, Christmas Dinner  and Christmas gifts

for 17 children aged 12 - 17  (6 boys and 11 girls).

I know there are many people asking for donations this time of year

but  we can't make it a Merry Christmas without your help.

Please drop off donation checks to James Sarles Realty offices (#9 Regent Centre), give checks to any Rotary Club Of GB Sunrise Rotarian or send us a PayPal donation to jamessarlesrealty@gmail.com.

Please forward this post to all your friends who may be interested in helping.

Thanks for your help,

James Sarles

New Extended Parking at the Port Lucaya Marketplace

Customers taking advantage of holiday deals being offered at the Marketplace. Store owners have also extended their operating hours to accommodate the late evening shoppers.

By GBPA

Freeport, Grand Bahama - Management at the Port Lucaya Marketplace have pulled out all of the stops to attract last minute shoppers before the Christmas holidays. From window displays decked with perfumes, jewelry and other wonderful holiday items, to sidewalk racks filled with pocket tempting deals; merchants are stocked and ready to receive and please customers.
Noting that parking at the Marketplace has been a challenge, management at the Port Lucaya Marketplace has expanded the customer parking area, to ensure that customers will have easy access and a pleasant experience when visiting the Marketplace.

Entertainment and Marketing Coordinator for the Marketplace Ms. Karen Ferguson-Bain expressed, “When you think of fine dining, shopping or family oriented entertainment, the Port Lucaya Marketplace is one of the first places that come to mind, but the issue of parking also accompanies this thought,” Ferguson-Bain commented. “As the final days before the Christmas Holiday approaches, we wanted to make coming to Port Lucaya a pleasant experience for everyone by extending parking to the far Western side of the Marketplace.

The new expanded parking area is intended to accommodate tenants and employees, so that the immediate parking facilities in the Western and Eastern lots can be utilized by customers.

This area is intended to accommodate tenants and employees, so that the immediate parking facilities in the Western and Eastern lots can be utilized by customers,” she continued. As a result of the new parking structure, customers now have ample parking facilities, with access to the Western parking area near Domino’s Pizza and to the Eastern parking area at the rear and to the right of the Oasis Drug Store.

During the final days before Christmas, store owners have extended their operating hours to accommodate the late evening shoppers. Customers are encouraged to check out the deals being offered at the Marketplace as most storeowners are hosting in-house promotions, where with a minimum purchase, customers become eligible to win prizes like matching Movado watch sets, a new 2011 vehicle, a trip for two to London and many other prizes.

GBPA hope to spur downtown Christmas spending

By GENEA NOEL
Freeport News

Freeport, Grand Bahama- In an attempt to draw business to the downtown area during the Christmas season, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) will host a Christmas Concert this Saturday.

Stores in the area will be offering sidewalk sale items while schools, churches and other organizations will conduct performances on the theme 'Angels of Hope.'

According to Geneva Rutherford, director of Community Relations for the GBPA, the festivities will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday where the St. Georges High School Band will lead the march around the perimeter of the downtown area.

The event, she promised, will be an inspiring one to get everyone in the Christmas spirit.

"It is the first time that we have done this type of activity and it is the aim that as we shop and walk around, we will all be inspired by the real message of Christmas.

"We all need to remember why we have this season ... and what we really want to emphasize as we share in the activities, is that the whole reason is to uplift everyone's spirit."

Arthur Jones, vice president of Building and Development for the GBPA noted that this year was probably the most challenging Grand Bahamians have had in a very long time.

"We know that there are many persons who have had very difficult times and we are very conscious of that, and as we decorate the city for this season we are very mindful of so many persons who are in need," he said

"This year we thought that it was more important to share a lot of what we had with those who were in need."

With the assistance of a local art group, made up of students, Jones said that residents can expect to see the art work of these students depicting the GBPA's versions of angels of hope with inspiring messages, draped from lamp posts along the downtown centre, as the holidays draw closer.

The GBPA has also teamed up with the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) for the window decoration competition. Business-es in the downtown area have been invited to decorate their windows depicting the 'Angels of Hope' theme. The winner from the downtown area will receive a one year licence fee wavier.

GBCC president, Peter Turnquest said that they are targeting the downtown area for special recognition and the aim is to get as many of the downtown businesses and the wider community to participate.

Judging for the competition will take place on December 23.

VIDEO) Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty - Santa Baby

Freeport, Grand Bahama - The James Sarles Realty Santa Baby Christmas Music video with special lyrics written by Marina Gottlieb Sarles was produced by Dave Mackey of Mackeymedia and shot on location in Grand Bahama. The video has become a Christmas tradition throughout the Bahamas since 2005 when it was first released. Santa Baby is a 1953 Christmas song originally performed by Eartha Kitt. The song is a tongue in cheek look at a Christmas list sung by a woman who wants the most extravagant gifts like sables, yachts and decorations from Tiffany’s. The special Coldwell Banker James Sarles Realty version of Santa Baby includes tongue in cheek references to Real Estate in the Bahamas. The 60 second video is being aired on CNN, Good Morning America, FOX News as well as Facebook, The Bahamas Weekly and Taste of Grand Bahama blog.