The Belize Bank Ltd is an avid supporter of education, sports and youth development.  For this year, The Belize Bank Ltd. is the official sponsor of the 2022 Inspiration Calendar.

Mrs. Agata Ruta- Head of Digital, Retail and Business Banking represented the bank and stated that The Belize Bank Ltd. was grateful for this opportunity to continue assisting youths in our community, especially those with disabilities. The calendar highlights the artistic talent of each child mentioned for the 12 months and through drawing, each child was able to further enhance their motor skills and imagination.

The bank applauds the great work and dedication the Inspiration Center has done and continues to do for kids with special needs.

Thursday, September 8th, 2020-To promote healthy living, discipline, and hard work of its athletes, The Belize Athletic Association (BAA) reached out to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund committee to acquire much needed athletics equipment for its members. 

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, Chairman of the Lord Ashcroft Covid-19 Relief Fund committee, officially handed over the valuable equipment to the President of the BAA-Deon Sutherland JP. 

Mr. Sutherland expressed his gratitude to Lord Ashcroft and the committee and further stated “The equipment  will provide a fantastic boost to our efforts to help our athletes perform to the very best of their abilities and go a very long way in assisting the BAA to provide the environment for our athletes and coaches to train using the proper equipment. It will better enable us to host national and, in the near future, regional tournaments”.

The Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund Committee is honored to assist the The Belize Athletic Association  in achieving its goal in using athletics as a tool in the development of Belize.

For the past eleven years, The Belize Bank Limited has held the annual Stella Maris Christmas Party which hosts over 100 students and teachers. This year, the event, like many of the Bank’s various corporate social responsibility activities, was canceled to ensure the safety of the students and teachers during the current coronavirus pandemic.  The cancellation was surely disappointing as the students looked forward to this festive event; especially, the special visit from Santa. The staff of the Bank, Santa’s helpers, also shared this sentiment as they looked forward to spending time and having fun with the students.

Today, however, The Belize Bank Limited still managed to spread some Christmas cheer to the 109 special needs students of Stella Maris Primary School, as specially wrapped Christmas gifts were delivered to the school for each student.  Principal, Mrs. Karima Oshon received the donations on behalf of the students from Mrs. Denise Godfrey, Senior Marketing Officer of the Belize Bank Limited.  Mrs. Oshon expressed her profound gratitude to The Belize Bank Limited for its unwavering support in these challenging times, and further explained that the gifts will be distributed to the parents when they obtain their child’s assessment later this week.

In promoting a healthy lifestyle, The Belize Bank Ltd. not only supports physical but also mental well- being and contributes to the social support granted by the Welcome Resource Center. On Friday, September 18th, Ms. Joyce Ellis from Welcome Resource Center presented Mrs. Denise Godfrey, Senior Marketing Office of the Belize Bank Ltd. with a Corporate Citizen Award. The award was given in appreciation of the Bank’s contributions to the center since May 2014.

The Center was founded on Monday 14th November, 2011  as an initiative of the Mental Health Association (MHA) and lives by its mantra of “Healthy Choices, Healthy People, Healthy Body, Healthy Mind” by providing meals, bathing facilities, clothing, basic job skills training, counseling and therapeutic activities to individuals who are homeless or mentally ill. Additional services include increased awareness and knowledge of mental health issues in Belize, with a focus on the reduction of stigma and discrimination and improved services for persons with mental illness. As an opportunity for participants to earn income, the center provides a stipend to participating individuals who assist with cleaning initiatives and recycling activities.

The bank is honored to receive such recognition as the donation assists  478 registered participants.

Monday, August 24th, 2020 – The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center (TBZTEC) is a conservation organization that has been proudly serving Belize for the past 137 years. Visitors to the zoo total approximately 86,000 annually, of which fifty percent are Belizeans.

With the closure of the airport and the domestic state of emergency measures caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic the income stream for the zoo has been severely impacted. The zoo is currently opened by appointments only, and it is only through the generous donations from merchants and the public that they are able to feed the animals and keep staff employed. As a result, The Belize Zoo reached out to the Belizean community and the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund seeking financial assistance.

Being deeply committed to the protection of animals and wildlife around the world, as highlighted in his recent book publication, “Unfair Game”, Lord Ashcroft pledged his avid support to this most needed effort.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, chairman of the Lord Ashcroft Covid-19 Relief Fund met with Mr. Celso Poot, representative from the TBZYEC Management Team to hand over a donation in the amount of $20,000.00. Mr. Poot expressed his profound gratitude on behalf of the TBZTEC management, staff and animals. He further explained that the funds will go directly into the care, nutrition and enriched quality of life for over 200 animals which represent 45 native species of Belizean wildlife.

Monday, August 24th, 2020 – To enhance the health and well-being of fellow police officers, The Belize Police Commissioner-Chester Williams presented a proposal to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund committee to acquire state of the art gym equipment and materials for the renovations of the Police Fitness Center. Embracing the culture of health and wellness, the committee agreed to contribute to the proposal.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, chairman of the Lord Ashcroft Covid-19 Relief Fund committee, presented Belize Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chester Williams with a cheque valued at $135,600.00.

The Commissioner expressed his gratitude to Lord Ashcroft and the committee and further stated, “Police Officers make many daily sacrifices-working long and late hours- which eventually impact their overall health and well-being. Exercise is known to be directly proportional to improving both physical and mental health. Officers who have top physical health will have greater productivity and effectiveness in their duties.”

To have a safe and well-equipped gym that is accessible and affordable for police officers, the Police department has sourced the expertise of Mr. Darwin Gallardo, owner and manager of Muscle Hut Gym. Mr. Gallardo will assist in the renovation of the Police Fitness Center in Belize City and acquire the equipment needed. State of the art gym equipment that the funds will cover include spinning bikes, dumbbells, Olympic plates, BUGE Smith machine, cable crossover, adjustable benches and more.

The Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund Committee is honored to assist the department in achieving its health and fitness goals and to promote a healthy and active workforce as members of the department continue to serve the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday, July 24, 2020 – In early June, the Rotary Club of Belize along with its counterpart Kolbe Foundation, which now manages the Belize Central Prison, reached out to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund seeking financial assistance for the mass production of reusable face masks. A donation in the amount of $60,000.00 was granted which covered the cost for the production of approximately 20,000 face masks by the Tailoring section of the Prison’s rehabilitation program.

On July 22nd, the first supply of masks was distributed to various non-profit organizations whose mandate is to assist the marginalized communities of Belize. These organizations included; Help Age Belize, Belize Diabetes Association, Mercy Clinic, Mental Health Association, Salvation Army of Belize, Belize Cancer Society, Rotary Sunrise Clubs countrywide and the Rotaract Club of Belize. On behalf of these organizations, The Rotary Club of Belize expressed their appreciation to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund for partnering with them in this initiative to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Belize.

July 21st, 2020 – Since the closing of schools in March, almost 100,000 students at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels of education have been out of school for an extended period of time. In an effort to bridge the learning gap, the Ministry of Education made a decision to re-open schools earlier than normal. To ensure the safety of students, regular handwashing, wearing of masks and physical distancing are now mandatory. In most of our schools countrywide, however, physical distancing would be an issue as most of their furnitures are benches, which accommodate up to three students. In order to be physically distant at a minimum of three feet, schools would need to acquire individual student arm chairs.

The Ministry of Education reached out to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund committee seeking financial assistance to provide much needed classroom furniture to pre-primary and primary schools that are in dire need. The Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund committee immediately agreed to assist with the provision of armchairs for 105 schools across the country.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, Chairman of the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund, met with Dr. Carol Babb, Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the General Managers of the various school boards including Catholic, Methodist, Anglican, Presbyterian and Government schools, to formalize the arrangement and to hand over the donation in the amount of $200,000.00. The funds will be used to purchase 4,425 individual student arm chairs that will ensure physical distance for the re-opening of schools across the country.

Dr. Babb extended a heartfelt thank you to Lord Ashcroft, Mr. Guiseppi and the Relief Fund committee on behalf of Hon. Patrick Faber, the General Managers of schools and the entire Ministry of Education for the generous support given to the schools. She continued, “The MOE’s mantra is “Education is Everybody’s Business” and you have demonstrated that belief with the generous donation, especially in these unprecedented times”.

On behalf of Lord Ashcroft and the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund committee, Mr. Guiseppi welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Ministry of Education on this initiative. Lord Ashcroft has always been an avid supporter of Education in Belize and pledges his continued support to Dr. Babb and the Ministry of Education.

On July 15th, 2020 the Belize Police Department held its first National Citizens Appreciation Day to recognize outstanding contributions they have received from the community; this included individuals, as well as businesses and other non-profit groups. The event was observed under the theme, “Honoring and Celebrating our Citizens for partnering with us for a safer Belize’.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, Chairman of the Belize Bank Limited met with Mrs. Dezerie Magdaleno, Deputy Commissioner of the Belize Police Department to receive an award on behalf of Lord Michael Ashcroft. The award is in gratitude and recognition of his valued contribution to the development of the community and support to the Belize Police Department.

Mr. Guiseppi expressed his appreciation on behalf of Lord Michael Ashcroft and applauded the Belize Police Department’s continued dedication to staying on the frontline and serving the country during these unprecedented times.