THE Issa Trust Foundation has offered assistance to staff members of Couples Resorts who were affected by Hurricane Beryl on June 3.

The foundation said staff members at Couples Ocho Rios, Couples San Souci, Couples Swept Away Negril, and Couples Negril have been offered support in the form of cash grants.

Chairman of the Issa Trust Foundation Paul Issa said that in addition to the initiative taken by the foundation to assist the affected staff members, a number of guests of Couples Resorts have expressed their desire to help the staff members who had suffered damage due to Hurricane Beryl.

Issa, who is also the deputy chairman of Couples Resorts, said that the foundation allowed donations to be made through their website, with the designation ‘Beryl’, and even enabling donors to specify a particular Couples resort for their contribution.

He also noted that every dollar raised would be matched by Couples Resorts, demonstrating what he said was a commitment to supporting their staff during this challenging time.

“The Issa Trust Foundation is the charitable arm of Couples Resorts. Our focus is paediatric health care as well as education but when a crisis happens that affects the communities where we operate our hotels, we try to step up to the plate and help in whatever way we can,” he said.

“Hurricane Beryl did considerable damage to the homes of several of our staff, especially in the Negril area. Many of our guests asked how they could assist, so we started an online fund-raiser on our website that has ended, with Couples Resorts matching the funds raised,” Issa added.

He noted that the guests donated US$35,700, so with Couples’ contribution, the pool is US$71,400 or J$11,000,000, adding that the distribution will be decided on by the human resources department of each hotel according to need, in a fair and transparent manner.

“It is important to us to do this quickly, because the staff need assistance now, not at some date in the future,” Issa added.

Marketing and promotions consultant for the foundation Sean “Contractor” Edwards said that the collaboration between the Issa Trust Foundation and Couples Resorts exemplifies the power of community support and solidarity in rebuilding and uplifting those affected by natural disasters.

“Our greatest asset is our staff and there is no way we could turn our backs on them in this time of need,” he added.

President and CEO of the Issa Trust Foundation Diane Pollard emphasised the foundation’s commitment to health and education in the regions where Couples Resorts are located, adding that “we not only support children and families but also the employees of the resorts”.

“We firmly believe that employees are the cornerstone of any company’s success. In turn, during the devastating hurricane, some employees were significantly affected. Our loyal Couples Resorts guests, recognising the dedication of the staff, also wanted to do something to help the employees in their time of need,” Pollard noted.

The Issa Trust Foundation was established in 2005 by Couples Resorts as a nonprofit organisation. The mission of the foundation is to provide a system of prevention, health promotion and education, community health improvement and other services to promote well-being and development for the people of Jamaica.