USVIHTA Update | January 2021
Greetings Members

Thank you for reading these and other important updates. Please remember to use the web link at the bottom to share with your teams.
Marine Toys for Tots and USVIHTA Continue to Spread Holiday Joy with Toys for Local Organizations
After toys were distributed to housing communities throughout the territory, Marine Toys for Tots representatives along with the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association continued to spread the holiday cheer by donating even more toys to the Salvation Army, the Boys & Girls Club of St. Thomas/St. John and Nana Baby. Click here to read a letter from the Boys & Girls Club, and here to read a letter from the Salvation Army regarding the donations.
Donate to the Live and Silent Auctions or Sponsor My Brother's Workshop's 4th Annual Mystery Event on Jan. 30!
A mystery event is an interactive evening of fun where a staged mystery takes place and the attendees must determine who among them is the culprit. It's like a live action game of clue! You'll be able to participate from your home with your own pod. It will be an evening of mystery and mayhem in Ancient Rome. Admission is free and all are invited to attend. There will be raffle prizes and auction items and prizes for best dressed and more! All you need to do is register here. Food is available for purchase from MBW Café and Bakery to be picked up for your own personal watch party and auction items are available for bidding! All you'll need the night of the event is a device with internet. Join from wherever you are near and far! 

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Click here for more information!

Click here to learn how to donate to the live and silent auction!
Eco-Schools USVI Lead Teacher for Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Represented the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Prestigious Alpen Institute III Listening Session on Jan. 14
Michaelrose Ravalier of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas participated on a panel of highly respected national educators on Thursday to discuss ways that the public-school education system can adapt to the impacts of climate change. Ravalier was the St. Thomas/St. John 2019 Teacher of the Year. 

Pamela New, Eco-Schools Coordinator said, “Ms. Ravalier and the other Eco-Schools teachers have been a pleasure to work with while participating in the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Program, (an Educational Grant funded by FEMA). Their perseverance and determination to encourage their students to become not only aware of how climate change will impact our islands, but also the necessity for our youth to become stakeholders in the discussion of how to address climate change has been remarkable to observe.”
 
While the DRRMP is coming to a close, Eco-Schools USVI continues to work towards building partnerships with public, parochial and private schools, inviting all campuses to become Eco-Schools. Contact Pamela New at vi.ecoschool@gmail.com for more information. Please see attached press release here.
USVI Tourism Leader Reflects on 2020, Invites Partnership for Year Ahead
The U.S. Virgin Islands' Commissioner of Tourism has extended a message of both gratitude and optimism to the territory’s Tourism Ambassadors and partners around the world, as he recapped the various challenges the islands faced in 2020. Thanking members of the diaspora for their engagement and participation in promoting the destination, Commissioner Joseph Boschulte highlighted one of the territory’s most recent honors — being named Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal, a leading digital travel news publication focusing on the region. Read more.

More local news:
CHTA Members Thank Frank Comito
USVI Small Business Resources
Click here to view VISBDC Resources for January 2021.
Bryan Williams' Tip: Courage Dares You To Try
The late Maya Angelou once said that, “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently." Whether the virtue is love, honesty, kindness, ambition or any other, courage dares you to TRY. Without courage, you get frozen and wonder, “What if I fail?” With courage, you know that NOT trying is failure itself. Without courage, you will do what you've ALWAYS done. With courage, you will think of ways to innovate and reinvent yourself.

It demands action regardless of the circumstances.
  • Courage makes you GET UP when you feel like staying down.
  • Courage makes you SPEAK UP when you feel like staying quiet.
  • Courage makes you MOVE FORWARD when you feel like staying still.

Disappointments and setbacks can lull you into thinking, "why bother?" But courage makes you stand strong and declare, "why not?" To all of the courageous people reading this, YOU inspire me. No matter what happened in 2020, I can't wait to see where your courage will take you in 2021.
Save the Date
Click here to view upcoming events. And don't forget to share your special events with members today by emailing kaufmann.laurel@gmail.com.
Lisa Hamilton 
USVIHTA President 
340-774-6835