How would you like a chance to rub elbows with Joe Pesci, Jackie Joyner Kersey or Sugar Ray Leonard?
Well, it doesn't come without a string or two, but it's for a noble cause.
Beacon Schools of the Virgin Islands is holding its third annual golf tournament Aug. 13 to 15 at Mahogany Run Golf Course, and it is badly in need of sponsors. In addition to the above, they have lined up 23 more celebrities to brighten the weekend.
Beacon operates three schools, one on each island, and its officials hope to add an additional two mini-Beacons to address high-risk junior high school males ranging in age from 12 to 17 in a mentoring program.
The Beacon concept was first brought to light in Sen. Lorraine L. Berry's 1996 Youth Symposium, where she had invited representatives of New York's highly successful Beacon Schools to participate. The concept was adopted by local business people and education officials and a plan was drafted to start the V.I. schools in 1997.
The schools are non-profit, depending primarily on outside funding. They are taught by a dedicated group of private citizens.
The goal of Beacons is to improve the performance of troubled youth, reduce violence and provide a safe after-school environment. First the students receive homework assistance for their regular schoolwork, and then on to fun things like art, sports and even computer classes
"We have grown unbelievably," said Valerie George, the program's dynamic executive director. "The enrollment in 1997 was 634; in 1998 it soared to 2,500 and this year we are up to 3,140."
Parents make up about one-fourth of the student body. "We noticed the parents waiting in the parking lot for their children, so we asked them to come in and check us out," George said, "and they became interested themselves."
But the schools need funding.
To become a corporate or individual school celebrity sponsor – you can personally have your own golf course hole for $200 – contact charter board member Catherine Mills during non- working hours at (340) 774-0551, e-mail at cats@islands.vi or fax her at (340) 777-5426.
