Sagicor, Chosen Hands support youths

August 05, 2020

Port of Spain, Trinidad —Young females attached to the St Jude’s Home for Girls were given an opportunity to hone their skills in art and further their development thanks to Sagicor and the Chosen Hands Art and Wellness Program. Sagicor made a financial donation to the programme which uses “art as a vehicle for personal development, healing and self-expression.” The donation was used by Chosen Hands to collaborate with Veronica’s Pottery to provide the material and the guidance for the young women of the home to understudy with ceramic artists.

Michelle Bell-Sookhoo, Sagicor’s Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, said, “Through Sagicor Inspire, our annual vacation internship programme, we were involved in refurbishing the computer room at St Jude’s last year. We know that the interns from the 2019 cohort thoroughly enjoyed this experience and so we are pleased as a company to continue to be able to support St Jude’s through the Chosen Hands programme which nurtures the creative gifts of these talented young ladies and creates opportunities.”

Chosen Hands is a non-profit organisation that began in June 2019 through the efforts of artist Anika Plowden-Corentin. Art therapy is often used as a holistic means of managing one’s emotional well-being and coping with physical illness or disability. The Chosen Hands programme offers the young ladies at St Jude’s the opportunity to find alternative income streams as they age out of the school, as well as a safe space for mentorship and personal growth.

On accepting the donation, Plowden-Corentin said, “On behalf of Chosen Hands, we would like to express heartfelt thanks to Sagicor for supporting our July/August 2020 creative programme. I am certain the young recipients benefiting from this initiative will appreciate the effort.”

 

Michelle Bell-Sookhoo, left, Sagicor’s Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, discusses the impact of the Chosen Hands Art and Wellness Program with its founder and creative director Anika Plowden-Corentin, at the cheque handover to support one of its second quarter projects, at Sagicor’s head office in Port of Spain, on July 9. In the photo, work by Hope Mc Nish and Nadia Charles is on display.