We are grieving the death of Sandals’ Founder, Gordon “Butch” Stewart. Great Shape! Inc. is able to serve 40,000 people in the Caribbean each year, because Mr. Stewart always said, “Yes.” We are so grateful.
We launched our partnership with Sandals Resorts International in 2003, when Papa Joe humbly asked Mr. Stewart to host our first ever dental project in Negril. This was even before the Sandals Foundation existed. 1000 Smiles, of course, grew to be one of the world’s largest, international, humanitarian projects, all thanks to Mr. Stewart’s vision and generosity. His passion for service and philanthropy expanded to include our other projects, SuperKids, Teach the Teachers and iCARE. He then asked us to care for other islands, St Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Turks.
You may remember, the Stewart family had just awarded Papa Joe with their philanthropy award. As his son, Adam tells us, he was so proud of our partnership and working on his own projects until his final day. You can see one of Mr. Stewart's posts about the award below.
"… we lost a true champion of the people. Mr. Stewart had the biggest heart and unending drive to make a difference in the lives of his countrymen. Mr. Stewart said "YES" 18 years ago, when I first asked him to donate rooms for our dentists to provide free dental care to marginalized communities. He kept on saying YES, every year, until his "Yeses" added up to nearly half a million people in the Caribbean receiving free dental care, eye care and education. His legacy is enshrined in every eyesight we have restored, in every smile we have saved, in every child whose mind has been opened. We are saddened today, and we will continue to work tirelessly to fulfill the vision and love that Mr. Stewart dedicated to philanthropy. Walk Good. God Speed. One Love."
~ Papa Joe
Mr. Stewart always signed his notes with, “all that’s good”… You can share your own memories, thanks and condolences to allthatsgood@sandals.com.
If you want to read more about Mr. Stewart’s life:
#allthatsgood #GSIgratitude
One Love. Walk Good.
~ Papa Joe and the Great Shape! Inc. family
