MONTEGO BAY, St James - Chief Executive Officer of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Adam Stewart has given the assurance that the resort chain will this year provide the US$100,000 required to expand the structure that houses the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre, which sits in the Flanker community of St James.

"The second-storey on the Peace and Justice Centre is going to have a price tag of near US$100,000 and we are committed to doing it. And not only doing it, but doing it in the calendar year 2012," said Stewart.

He was speaking at the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre 10th anniversary banquet, held on the lawns of the Sandals Montego Bay Chapel on Saturday.

Established in 2002, the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre is a non-government organisation which seeks to enhance the social, educational and economic standards of the residents of the community, which had been stigmatised by the scourge of violence.

Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of SRI, has over the years worked closely with several groups, including the Dispute Resolution Foundation and the Citizens Security and Justice Programme to arrest the violence which once characterised the community.

The raft of programmes and initiatives undertaken by SRI and later the Sandals Foundations which are geared towards uplifting social life in the community include:

* the donation of more than J$5million to the centre to assist in the implementation of youth intervention programmes and to help with community development projects;

* the provision of skills training and employment for the residents in the community;

*the provision of jobs at SRI hotels, and the

* hosting of the annual Readathon, in an effort to promote literacy in the community.

In recent years roughly 3,500 persons have been using the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre on a monthly basis to access a wide rage of services, including homework sessions, mentorship and skills training.

Stewart who noted on Saturday that just over a year ago the Sandals Foundation introduced the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre concept in the Caribbean island of St Lucia, pledged the SRI's continued support to the St James community.

" I am very proud of it (Flanker Peace and Justice Centre) and I am proud of the synergies that the community and ourselves have. We are proud of this relationship," Stewart emphasised.

"As long as I am here and they keep me in charge of the Foundation, Sandals will always be open to the Flanker community. We have made a commitment to the Flanker community to continue to push the boundaries".

Meanwhile, Mayor of Montego Bay Charles Sinclair - who is also the JLP councillor for the Flanker division - in his remarks, lauded the Sandals Group for their strong support to the community. He also commended the management of the Peace and Justice Centre for their outstanding achievements.

" They (Sandals Group) have put their money where their mouth is. Is not just talk, you have also walked the walk.I also congratulate the Peace and Justice Centre for all that they have done," Sinclair expressed.

Similar compliments were echoed by Member of Parliament for Central St James, Lloyd B Smith.

Smith who is also the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives challenged other hotel operators to "take a page out of the book of the Sandals Group," and foster a community in which they conduct business.

"I want to think ladies and gentlemen that if every hotel in Jamaica, if every resort entity in this country were to adopt one community and seek to do the type of work that Sandals has done, then Jamaica will become so much a better place," he argued.

Smith who was the guest speaker at the banquet pledged an annual donation of $30,000 towards a group or an individual from Flanker who exemplifies good citizenship, as he expressed the need for the Flanker Peace and Justice model to be replicated in other communities.

"I am very concerned that we live in a country where there is too much talk and less action. And if there is one thing that the Flanker Peace and Justice Centre has shown us is that action speaks louder that words. And so it is my hope that what has happened in the Flanker community will be replicated," he emphasised.

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