A look of pleasant surprise washed over Lyndsay Isaacs’s face as she stood to accept the Stewart Family Culture Award.

This rare honour has been bestowed only twice before in the long history of Sandals Resorts International (SRI).

Established to acknowledge a team member who embodies the enduring spirit of SRI’s late Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart, it serves as a tribute to a Sandals leader who has made remarkable contributions in promoting, preserving, and celebrating the vibrant and distinctive culture of the company.

Isaacs, regional public relations manager for Beaches Ocho Rios and Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, had no idea she was to become the next recipient of this accolade during the annual Prestige Awards ceremony for SRI’s corporate offices earlier this month.

In fact, she was only there to cheer on her colleagues who were nominated for more traditional awards given out that evening, and was in disbelief when her name was called.

SRI’s Executive Chairman Adam Stewart stood proudly, waiting to hand Isaacs the esteemed award.

This award was special to him too, as it symbolises the values on which his late father formed the company — values Adam has multiplied in leading the Caribbean’s only super brand.

Deafening applause filled the venue, and overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment Isaacs’s heart swelled with emotion and her eyes flooded with tears.

“They were tears of joy. I was shaking so much while I was up there. I felt so honoured and elated. I was speechless,” said Isaacs as she shared that she never expected to receive an award, especially of this magnitude, for her work with the company.

“Some things you do for the love of what it is. And because you do it, because you enjoy it, you’re having fun — and that’s the reward in itself. That’s what my job is to me,” said Isaacs whose role frequently involves community outreach and assisting people, something she is immensely passionate about.

Receiving this award from the Stewart family caused Isaacs to reflect on when she joined the company more than three decades ago.

She chuckled at the fact that her tenure was never intended to last as long as it has, not even remotely. She joined the company as a youngster looking for a way to help pay tuition for a college in which she had already enrolled.

“My intention wasn’t to be at Sandals. It was just a summer job. I got registered, and I was prepared to go back to school. The summer job hasn’t ended yet,” laughed the regional public relations manager who is among countless SRI team members who’ve received a Sandals scholarship to complete their bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees.

But she did not stay because of the scholarships.

It was during her first few months with the company when she and an army of team members from Sandals visited an orphanage in Montego Bay that was in need. She was in high school when she first learned about the orphanage’s needs.

“Being school kids, there was not much we had to give to these babies there or to help them to buy packed diapers or baby food,” Isaacs shared.

She said she reached out to management at Sandals Montego Bay not long after joining the resort as a summer intern, asking for help for the children’s home. She could not believe the overwhelming support that followed.

“Two months later we got a truck loaded with cribs, a stove, a fridge, and a bus filled with managers and team members, and we went to Blossom Garden Children’s Home. We were painting the facilities and did other upgrades there. I get so emotional thinking about that day. I merely mentioned to Sandals what was going on and they immediately decided to help.

“It became a regular thing, too; every month we’d go there. That was really the turning point for me in wanting to stay with the company,” added Isaacs.

What made receiving the award even sweeter are the prizes that go along with it. She received a trip to Europe for herself and her family, all expenses paid, which Isaacs described as “incredibly awesome”.

SRI’s managing director for the Eastern Caribbean Winston Anderson, and the Corporate Director for Human Resources Ryan Matthew are the only other persons to ever receive this award.