Oaktree Medical Center spreads joy to children impacted by COVID-19

Oaktree Medical Center spreads joy to children impacted by COVID-19
From left: Elizabeth Longley, Director of Human Resources, Oaktree Medical Center; Dr. Don D. Deveaux, Medical Director, Oaktree Medical Center; Superintendent Anthony Rolle, Royal Bahamas Police Force and Director, National Crime Prevention Office.

$10,000 Donation to Royal Bahamas Police Force National Crime Prevention 

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Oaktree Medical Center recently donated $10,000 to the Royal Bahamas Police Force National Crime Prevention Office for its annual tree lighting ceremony under the theme, “Celebrating the Gift of Peace and Hope”.

The event is set for December 3 at police headquarters.

“I see the community as our biggest investors and so, like any company, when you have investors, stakeholders, shareholders, there comes a time when you have to pay dividends. As a result, for me, this is just us paying back dividends to the community,” said Oaktree Medical Center Medical Director Dr Don D Deveaux.

He continued: “As a fellow first responder, the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s holiday focus this year celebrates the gifts of peace and hope; the word ‘hope’ stood out to me because during this challenging pandemic, many have lost their lives. These are men and women who risk their lives on a daily basis to save us and to make sure our communities are safe, for us here at Oaktree it is only the right thing to do.

From left: Tameka Neely, Police Constable 3992, Royal Bahamas Police Force; Superintendent Anthony Rolle, Royal Bahamas Police Force and Director, National Crime Prevention Office; Leonard Ramsey, ASP, Royal Bahamas Police Force.

Director of the National Crime Prevention Office and thirty-year veteran Superintendent Anthony Rolle reflected on the challenging year the country has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts made by the Force to assist the community.

“Last year, during the pandemic the Commissioner of Police and the team went into communities during the height of the lockdowns when so many persons were in need,” Rolle said.

“Many questioned if this should be done, given the risks but he saw it necessary, as a man with a caring heart.  We were able to do several food drives, give out vouchers, and during back to school we were able to hand out school supplies. Thanks to the generosity of corporate Bahamas and tapping into our limited police resources, it really touched the lives of many people. By meeting the needs of the community, it actually helped to reduce crime.”

Funds donated for this year’s holiday event will directly support and uplift children ages one to 12 of fallen police officers who died as a result of COVID-19.

“We’ve been doing tree lighting for more than 20 years,” Rolle said.

“During this time, we try to cater to children in different sectors and for this year, during the pandemic many children were not allowed to come out. Unfortunately, the police force is no exception to the ravages of COVID-19 and sadly several officers passed away over the past two years. As a result, we will focus on the fallen officer’s children.

The $10,000 donation from Oaktree Medical Center will bring joy to children still in mourning and provide a ray of hope during the holiday season.

Rolle added: “It is important for the Royal Bahamas Police Force to have support from the community and the corporate Bahamas as we all have a role to play. The police cannot fight crime on their own and cannot be everywhere and at all times so our crime fighting initiative depends on the support of corporate Bahamas and the Bahamas at large. This donation is going to go a long way and we want to say thank you to Oaktree Medical Center.”