Coast Guard Hosts Young Sea Cadets to Christmas Lunch

This afternoon at the Gateway Youth Center, the Belize Coast Guard hosted a handful of children who are part of its Sea Cadet Program to lunch.  It is part of the Christmas cheer being spread by the organization, particularly since COVID-19 has disrupted other activities that would have been held at part of its ongoing outreach.  We caught up with Acting Commandant Greg Soberanis who says it’s all about spreading the joy of the season.

Gregory Soberanis, Acting Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“Today we’re having a Christmas lunch for our Sea Cadet Program.  As you know, the Sea Cadet Program is a vital, strategic component of the coast guard strategy.  It’s one way that the organization gives back to the community.  It is through this program, reaching out to kids.  There’s a saying that goes, “If you want to last the summer, grow corn.  If you want to last a decade, grow a forest.  But if you want to last a hundred years, grow leaders.”  And as an organization, the commandant believes in leadership, developing leadership and we thought that a program such as this is one way of developing the next generation of leaders, so what you see here today is more than just giving the kids a Christmas lunch or giving them a Christmas treat.  Really and truly, it’s developing the young hearts and minds into becoming tomorrow’s leaders.”

Gregory Soberanis

Isani Cayetano

“It begins with a luncheon or is it like a small treat for the kids?”

Gregory Soberanis

“Yes, this is just a small treat for the kids.  As you know, it’s a program prior to the whole COVID pandemic.  We would have the kids come to our facility twice a week.  So today it’s just giving the kids pizza.  You know, kids love pizza.  Pizza and some soft drinks and to have them feel the festivity or the festive time of the year, giving them a little bit of the Christmas cheer.  So this is an important program for us, one that we intend to continue.  There are many partners that support this initiative, Gateway being one of them, the U.S. Embassy being one of them and of course, our ministry, the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security and some of the local businesses as well that support the initiative that we have going on here.  So we are very thankful for all those partners that make this program a success.”