19 CARIBBEAN CHARITIES RECEIVE $1,000 GRANTSFROM CARIBBEAN CABLE & TELECOMMUNICATIONS ASSOC.            

        ST. THOMAS, USVI, June 2, 2008 – The board of directors of the Caribbean Cable and Telecommunications Association (CCTA) unanimously agreed to award a total of $19,000 to 19 charitable organizations located in the Caribbean.  Each individual charity was nominated by a cable system operator that is an active member of the CCTA.            

        Beulah Jonis, chairman of the CCTA and managing director of St. Maarten Cable TV, stated that “the missions of these 19 outstanding nominees made it difficult to decide between them.  The CCTA originally established the program to give just ten grants per year, but the program has generated so much interest among our members that the number of applicants continues to grow annually.  This year’s 19 nominees are very worthy organizations, and we are delighted to be able to award grants to all of them.”  Each nominee will receive $1,000.  The board took this action at their meeting on May 14, 2008.           

        The 19 grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are:  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda nominated by Bermuda Cablevision Ltd.; BVI Red Cross nominated by BVI Cable TV; Abilities Unlimited nominated by Cable Bahamas; Teen Challenge Aruba Foundation nominated by Cable Television of Aruba; The Arijah Children’s Foundation Anguilla Limited nominated by Caribbean Cable Communications Holding Ltd.; Casa Protegida Julia de Burgos nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; Promise Inc. nominated by Columbus Communications Trinidad; Father Mallaghan’s Home for Boys nominated by Columbus Communications Grenada; Queen Louise Home nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Croix; Humane Society of St. Thomas nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John; Hogar San Jose nominated by Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Marian Home nominated by St. Lucia Cablevision; Meals on Wheels & Care Organization nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; Dominica Infirmary nominated by SAT Telecommunications Ltd. of Dominica; Fundacion Pediatrica Por Un Manana nominated by Telecable of the Dominican Republic; Fundashon Nos Grandinan nominated by T. V. Distribution Systems of Curacao; Eagle Boyz Club nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; National Council of Voluntary Organisations nominated by WestStar TV Limited of the Cayman Islands; and St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network.           

        Formed in 1983 and based on St. Thomas, the Caribbean Cable and Telecommunications Association represents cable and telecommunications companies throughout the Caribbean, and programmers, software and hardware suppliers that support their activities.  The Community Charities Program was founded in 1993 and has awarded nearly $190,000 during its existence.