Strategy and public relations agency Issa PR will lead communications efforts for Project Promise, a St. Croix, U.S.Virgin Islands based non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk youth. Project Promise has recently announced their gifting of close to $10,000 to educate 30 children in South Africa for a year and hosted a reception for World Refugee Day in New York.
Founder and CEO of Issa PR – Viet N’Guyen: “We are honored to work with Project Promise and the opportunity to showcase this incredible organization and their good work not only for the young people of St. Croix, but young people around the world. Nelson Mandela was a true visionary and his birthday centennial underscores the importance of global humanitarian efforts, and how a single individual – and organization – can help to make a difference.”
Last February, the founder of Project Promise, Resa O’Reilly, fulfilled a dream of traveling to South Africa on a service trip to help children in need. According to Ms. O’Reilly, a native of St. Croix, “I fell in love with the country and the children that I worked with. I knew there was more I could do to help.” During her time at the St. Paul’s school, she discovered that despite living in poverty, students attend a public school they must finance, commute two to three hours each way, and must pay for transportation. The Grade R1 students come from the surrounding townships of Langa, Gugulethu, Khatalitsha, Makaza and Delft.
During her February trip, O’Reilly decided to sponsor two children but upon returning to St. Croix, she along with Project Promise board members, staff and volunteers raised funds to sponsor all the children in the class that she worked with, plus five more. The Caterpillars, the 12 and 13 year-old participants in Project Promise’s flagship program The Caterpillar Project, raised over $1,000 to pay for the education of three of these students, often collecting donations one dollar at a time. Ms. O’Reilly will be traveling to Cape Town to present a check to the principal of the St. Paul’s Primary School on July 19, 2018. This date is of particular significance as it is the day after Mandela International Day with 2018 also marking the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, a day where everyone can take action and inspire change in the world.
On the selection of Issa PR as their Agency of Record, Resa O’Reilly stated: “After my first meeting with Ms. N’Guyen, I knew Issa PR was the perfect firm to oversee Project Promise’s communication efforts. I loved her vision and insight!”
Continuing in the spirit of Madiba’s tireless efforts to uplift his fellow countrymen, Project Promise recently launched the St. Croix Trauma Intervention and Relief Project which trained members in the community to become Trauma Informed Life Coaches allowing them to visit hard hit areas and schools to work with residents and students still reeling from the psychological and emotional effects of last year’s hurricanes. This June marks the start of hurricane season where many residents of the island are still displaced and day-to-day life is not back to normal. But despite this reality, their community came together to help others who are also in need.
Project Promise and their efforts to help educate children and uplift them from poverty would make Madiba proud.
