The Barbados Lottery Supporting Healthcare, Youth and Education

The Barbados Cancer Society and Under-15 cricket sensations – twins, Daniel and Darius Joseph are among the latest recipients of thoughtful gifts from IGT Global Services Limited (IGT), manager and operator of The Barbados Lottery, through a recent donation of PPE equipment, sanitization products and $1,000 in gift vouchers, respectively.

The PPE contributions were part of an ongoing series of outreach activities by IGT and The Barbados Lottery to boost protection efforts against COVID-19 in the healthcare, youth and education sectors.

President of the Barbados Cancer Society (BCS), Dr. Dorothy Cooke-Johnson lauded the leadership of IGT for recognizing the serious implications posed by COVID-19 and for responding to this call in March and April 2021 by donating the well-needed items in a timely manner.

“IGT showed enormous vision and recognition of the implications of COVID-19 and the protection to be given to our employees and staff,” she said. “Of the many PPE and sanitization items donated to the BCS, approximately 300 kids 3-ply face masks were donated. These face masks are being provided to children diagnosed with cancer and attending the QEH to receive chemotherapy treatment. Their immune systems are fragile at this time and their parents have to take great care to protect them from the COVID-19 virus,” Dr. Cooke-Johnson observed.

Also in keeping with this support to the nation’s youth, 14-year-old twin brothers Daniel and Darius Joseph of the St. Michael School are geared up and playing ‘lovely cricket’ for a term’s stint at the King’s Bruton School in Somerset, England, ably assisted by a $1,000 injection by IGT and The Barbados Lottery in April 2021 towards cricket supplies.

Daniel is listed as one of few young Barbados cricketers to have scored 2 hat-tricks in one inning. Some of his notable achievements include: The National Sports Council Award in 2014 for Primary School Bowler with most wickets, Desmond Haynes Award for Best Primary School Bowler in 2015, and an appointment as Under-13 Captain of the St. Catherine Cricket Club in 2018, to name a few.

Darius’ exceptional profile shows him to be no less an outstanding cricketer having scored his first half-century at 11 years old during the Secondary School Tournament. He also won the Best Wicket-keeper Award in the Primary School All-Stars Match in 2016, Under-13 Barbados Cricket Supplies Championship (BCS) Tournament Award for Wicketkeeper with most dismissals in 2019 and was a member of the Pickwick Under-13 BCS Championship Team in 2019.

The duo’s father, Michael Lucas, expressed his appreciation for the assistance given to his sons by IGT and The Barbados Lottery.

“The timely assistance of The Barbados Lottery has been vital to help our sons fulfill their dream of taking up this scholarship opportunity to study and play cricket at King’s Bruton in Somerset, England. We are doubly impressed by the diligent, humane and efficient way that the team responded to our initial request, secured the needed additional information for it to be considered and processed to assist our sons, as one of their sponsors for their journey. The Barbados Lottery is a hero in our sons’ story and serves as an outstanding example of corporate citizenry. We thank you sincerely.”

 This outreach support also included donations of PPEs and sanitization supplies to a number of youth and educational institutions, namely: Bayleys Primary, Hilda Skeene Primary and Gordon Walters Primary schools, Pro Shottas Soccer School, St. Giles Primary School PTA, and The Learning Centre which currently hosts an IGT After School Advantage computer centre.

Ferdinand Lord, Site Operations Manager, The Barbados Lottery noted: “IGT and The Barbados Lottery are aware of the various challenges which have affected many healthcare, educational and youth-based organisations over the past year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacting our island. We are proud to contribute these supplies towards supporting and ensuring the safety of the members and children of a number of these groups and institutions.”

The donated items come at a crucial time when the students are reverting to face-to-face learning during the ongoing pandemic.