Ramada Princess Donates to Children

A number of agencies that work with underprivileged children have been gifted with gaming machines courtesy of the Ramada Princess which is upgrading and modernizing the hotel to make it friendlier for guests. The massive renovation includes work on the bowling alley, elevators, restaurant, cinema and other amenities. Andrea Polanco was on hand when the recipients got the good news.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

The Ramada Belize City Princess Hotel presented arcade machines to a number of local children and youth organizations. The Department of Youth Services was one of the recipients. Accepting on their behalf was Nomar Bembridge.

Nomar Bembridge

Nomar Bembridge, Department of Youth Services

“We are actually going to be putting a few of them in our new youth lounge that we will be opening at the end of this month and also at the national youth cadet corp where we have at risk young men who are a part of a residential program that we run there.”

Andrea Polanco

“Did you guys expect this donation today?”

Nomar Bembridge

“Actually, no. We had just commenced plans for the lounge and a day after we started planning, Ms Tessa gave us a call and said ‘hey we have a few gifts,’ and we said look at that it fit right in our plan. We spoke with the cadet and they said they could use it to provide some leisure for their young men there and we said it totally fits into what we are trying to do for our young men there. It totally fits into what we are trying to do for this year and we are quite grateful for it.”

The Ramada Belize City Princess, which has been undergoing renovations, is donating the machines as a part of their community outreach.

Erol Olcan, General Manager, Ramada Belize City Princess

“We are doing the donation for the Children’s home, some small machines and riding things for the small children. The reason for that is that we are renovating our bowling area. Those machines were in the bowling area and now we took it out and we are going to completely revamp the bowling area and turn it into an amusement arcade. Those machines, we thought, the owner Mister Sudi Ozkan, said we should donate it to the Children’s Home rather than throw away.”

Andrea Polanco

“How were the organizations selected to receive this donation?”

Erol Olcan

Erol Olcan

“Well, we have about sixteen of them and there are four houses in here; four children’s home are here and we will equally give it to them.”

Andrea Polanco

“How important is it that Ramada be involved in actively giving back?”

Erol Olcan

“I think it is not just only the Ramada, our owner, you see his picture in the lobby. He was here three weeks ago, Mister Sudi Ozkan, and he is the sort of the gentleman – he likes to give things to the community. As a hotel, we work hand in with the community and that is a really good part of it; helping the community and the community helping us at the same time. I think it is a really brilliant idea and we will continue to do so.”

While they are entertainment machines, Bembridge says they will be monitored and put to good use.

Nomar Bembridge

“What we are going to actually do as it pertain to the national youth cadet, it is going to be scheduled time. You have an entertainment time that runs for an hour and after that hour is done then your time is done. And because it works with coins, so if your coins are out then your time is out. So it is going to be manned. It is not going to be that you play until two in the morning and wake up and can’t go to classes and function properly. But we will monitor it and will be an addition to what we are offering our young men in Belize.”

The recipients of the arcade machines are the Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center, Liberty Children’s Home, Kings Children’s Home, and Department of Youth Services for the Youth Hostel and Youth Cadet Corps. Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.