The Sunwing Foundation supports local youth development in Saint Lucia with a $10,000 donation to The Oliver Gobat Sports Fund

TORONTO, Feb. 14, 2017 /CNW/ - The Sunwing Foundation announced this week that it has made a $10,000 donation to The Oliver Gobat Sports Fund (TOGS). Established in remembrance of Saint Lucian athlete, Oliver Gobat, whose life was tragically cut short in 2014 as he prepared to compete in the Commonwealth Games; the fund was set up to encourage young Saint Lucians to pursue their sporting endeavours and provide them with the necessary support to progress in their sporting careers. A large part of the donation is expected to assist with the coordination of the first Oliver Gobat Cricket Tournament that takes place island-wide during the month of February attracting participation from over 30 teams.

The news of the donation coincided with the opening of two new Royalton Luxury Resorts (Royalton Saint Lucia and Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia) further establishing the travel group's long term commitment to the destination.

"We created the Sunwing Foundation to support sustainable youth and education projects in the countries served by the Sunwing Travel Group. Saint Lucia is one of our most recently added destinations, and we are extremely pleased to be able to partner with this worthwhile fund that seeks to foster and support aspiring young Saint Lucian athletes," said Stephen Hunter, President and CEO of the Sunwing Travel Group. " We are hopeful that this will be the first in a series of charitable projects that our Foundation will be able to lend its support to on the island in the coming months."

Helen Gobat, mother of Oliver Gobat, administrator and one of the directors at TOGS, also commented on the impact of Sunwing's donation to support TOGS first cricket competition of the year.

"The young cricketers of St. Lucia were excited to have this happen and they are very grateful for Sunwing's support. Without this donation the competition could not have taken place, and we hope that next year's tournament will be even more successful. It's wonderful to have an organization that understands and supports the development of youth through sporting disciplines."

For information on the work of the Sunwing Foundation, please visit sunwingfoundation.com.

About Sunwing Foundation

A charitable initiative established by the Hunter family, the Sunwing Foundation reflects the Sunwing Travel Group's enduring commitment to the support and development of youth in the communities where it operates in the form of project funding or the transport of humanitarian aid. The Sunwing Foundation takes no administration fees and passes on 100% of the charitable donations it raises through the airline's spare change program to the communities that need it the most, funding educational and skills development projects to provide a direct, impactful, and sustainable improvement to quality of life for years to come. Since its inception in 2015, the Sunwing Foundation has provided assistance to a number of sustainable projects, most notably the construction of the Spicy Hill Early Childhood Institution in Trelawny, Jamaica

About Sunwing Travel Group

One of the largest integrated travel businesses in North America, Sunwing Travel Group is comprised of Sunwing Vacations, the leading leisure tour operator in Canada; Sunwing Airlines, Canada's premier leisure airline; Signature Vacations, one of Canada's leading tour operators for all inclusive package vacations and Vacation Express, a growing tour operator in the United States together with the Group's own travel retail businesses SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings. Blue Diamond Resorts is the Sunwing Travel Group's own hotel management company, an innovative organization that operates popular resort brands like Royalton Luxury Resorts, Memories, CHIC All Exclusive, and Starfish, across the Caribbean, Cuba and Mexico; while NexusTours provides destination management services to individuals, agencies, tour groups, corporate businesses and tour operators.

SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Inc.