By PAVEL BAILEY

FTX Digital Markets continued its push to give back to the community yesterday by donating over $500,000 to several local charities.

During a ceremony at the Rosewood Library at Baha Mar, Valdez K Russell, vice president of FTX Digital Markets, spoke about how his company wanted to create a better quality of life for Bahamians by donating to a variety of local social outreach programmes.

“At FTX we will have a sustained focus on some of the following initiatives: health and wellness, the empowerment of women and children, hunger and food insecurity, climate change and environmental issues along with the engagement with selective community outreach programmes and partners to create a better quality of life for Bahamians and residents,” he said.

He also thanked FTX’s community partners for their hard work in improving the lives of the average citizen and hopes that their donations would help them continue their vital community outreach.

“The Bahamas Cancer Society with the Ride for Hope and also their golf tournament will receive $50,000, Hands for Hunger will receive $250,000, the Links Safe House will receive $100,000, the Nassau chapter of Links Incorporated will receive $20,000, the Occupy Mentorship programme will receive $25,000, the Singing Bishop will be allocated $50,000 and the Salvation Army will receive $50,000.

 “This amount that exceeds more than half a million is to support the causes and commitments that affect the lives of Bahamians and residents in a meaningful way. We are just getting started,” Mr Russell said.

 Bishop Lawrence Rolle, known as the Singing Bishop, broke down in tears after hearing of the sizeable donation to his outreach programme. He said this money would go a long way in feeding the less fortunate.

 “Let me tell you something, son and the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, everybody know Rolle suffer, Rolle suffer,” he said. “That (the donation) will feed them people. You can imagine in 2020 nearly 100,000 people (need food). This ain’t no game and I give God praise, I don’t even know how to call the company name, FTX. Lord let me tell you something, this more than Emancipation Day, I feel like hollering you know? I done holler.”

 While FTX plans to continue making donations to worthy causes, Mr Russell said the company hopes to invest in the country by creating new employment opportunities for residents in their food delivery, hospitality, real estate, financial and planning services.

 He said the company plans to break ground on its $60 million campus in the coming months, where about 1,000 people are expected to be employed.

 “In the coming months we anticipate that we’re going to break ground on our $60 million dollar campus, we anticipate that 1,000 individuals will be employed there,” he said.

 “We look forward to expanding our footprint for community centres throughout the country. We also believe that we have a responsibility to work with existing Bahamian businesses and entrepreneurs so that they can provide us with services that allow our team members, our employees, to be comfortable to be more effective and efficient by working with us to deliver services right to our office doorsteps.”

 FTX Digital Markets, a digital asset exchange, opened its office in western New Providence late last year.