By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

LEND a Hand Bahamas (LAHB) has been selected for inclusion in the King’s Trust, with King Charles III as its official patron.

Founded by the former Prince of Wales in 2015, the King’s Trust aims to address the global youth unemployment crisis.

In a press statement, LAHB called this an “exceptional honour and an endorsement” of their community work with young people in Bain & Grant’s Town.

The organisation expressed gratitude for being selected from over 1,000 non-profit organisations worldwide.

“The King’s Trust works with local partners around the world to deliver education, employment and enterprise programmes,” LAHB said. “Their stated mission, ‘Learn, Earn and Thrive.’ is a collaborative programme to widen the scope of opportunity for young, underprivileged people, giving them the tools to go out into the world and succeed.”

LAHB was formed in 2014 to address the growing need to develop more educational community services to serve historic “Over-the-Hill” areas.

“The needs within the local community are many and continue to amplify, as they are in other countries. We are, as always, committed to our enterprise and look forward to our partnership with the King’s Trust in making a difference in young Bahamian lives.”

On October 20, 2018, the Neville and Nora Dorsett Community Center, housing LAHB, was officially opened on Lewis Street.

The organisation has completed the construction of a second centre on the same street to meet the urgent demand for additional physical space, with a formal opening anticipated in late November 2024.

From 2014-2018, the organisation focused on programme planning, fundraising, and building necessary partnerships to establish its first Community Centre in Bain & Grant’s Town, which delivers educational programmes.”

In 2017, LAHB strategically merged with the local non-profit Lignum Vitae 4-H Centre of Hope, founded in 2008 by Shelagh Pritchard and thirteen members.

In partnership with the University of Florida 4-H International Faculty Extension, Lignum Vitae conducted multiple training programmes in Nassau, teaching valuable skills to Urban Renewal staff, volunteers, and students.

LAHB also played a role during Hurricane Dorian relief efforts, supporting evacuees from Grand Bahama and Abaco who relocated to New Providence. Together with eight collaborative churches, they implemented a National Feeding Programme that supported 55,000 individuals within the city zone.

Their work continues to expand a broad spectrum of educational programmes, including 4-H STEM, Culinary Arts, Sewing, Hydroponics, Visual Arts, and many more, as well as a summer camp for over 200 participants. Currently, they are accepting court-appointed juvenile offenders into the Wellness Rocks programme.