My Nonprofit Reviews

We are writing to share our multi-year experiences with Hands Across the Sea. We became aware of Hands Across the Sea and their involvement with books for the children of the Caribbean over 10 years ago when we took charter sailboat vacations in St. Vincent and the Caribbean. We wanted to contribute something back to the islands and contributing to Hands Across the Sea seemed like a nice way to do it. While we contributed financially, we really did not have a good understanding on their overall operation and involvement throughout the Caribbean Island chain. In 2018, we sold everything in the States and moved aboard our sailboat “Kindred Spirit” and set a course for the Caribbean where our plans were to liveaboard and cruise for at least 10 years. We began our journey in Rhode Island where we were fortunate enough to catch up in person with Harriet and Tom Linskey, the founders of Hands Across the Sea. Over dinner we learned so much more about Hands Across the Sea and the overall scope of their work. We were highly impressed. Not only was Hands Across the Sea providing new age-appropriate books with topics of interest to the children of the Caribbean, but they were also establishing reading libraries within schools on the islands which are supported by local Literacy Links, who are retired educators, to provide guidance for the running of the libraries, in addition to providing ideas to the local teachers on how to get the children engaged with reading. Our primary base in the Caribbean is St. Vincent and the Grenadines and we have been fortunate to see first hand the operation of Hands Across the Sea and also the positive affect it has on the children and teaching staff at the local schools. Over time we have also become friends with the educators and principals in the local schools and the appreciation they have to Hands Across the Sea in support of their students. We have also witnessed the excitement when the children open the book shipment they just received and also the dedication the Literacy Links have to this organization and the children. A highlight for us was our day spent with Enna Bullock and Yvette Pompey as we visited 7 schools on the island of Bequia as they reviewed the libraries and provided ideas and insight to the local educators in addition to watching them lead a reading session for the children.

We are pleased to support such an organization with our monetary contribution and also our time to promote and support their efforts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and also the Caribbean in general. The contributions are well spent in support of their dedication and efforts.