It started with Earth Day in 2013…
First Earth Day Committee (left to right). Jennifer Johnson-Calari, Kenrica Hepburn, Jacqueline Campaigne, Denise Bethel, Meg Wujack, Ethel Turner, Pam Armbrister, Letitia Brown
when the first Earth Day festival was held in Arthur’s Town to highlight environmental threats, solutions and celebrate traditional crafts and traditions.
2014 First student exchange with Bell Multi-cultural High School where students competed to win a two week trip by tackling the topic of invasive species on Cat.
2015 Steering Committee is created to formalize a civic group to be the point organization for the Earth Day festival, youth exchange and other environmental initiatives.
2016 At community meetings, a senior citizen suggested the name Cat Island United and students competed for the logo.
2017 Cat Island United is legally incorporated as a Bahamian non-profit organization. The Board launches the first Young Entrepreneur workshop to encourage youth to build environmentally sensitive business on Cat and respond to increased foreign demand for eco-tourism.
2018 The first Board of Directors and its Executive Committee is formed. The Global Environment Fund (GEF) awards Cat Island United its first grant to build operating capacity and set up a can recycling operation.
2019 CIU goes strong with recycling underway, Shark Tank competition for youth business proposals and Earth Day Festival in the Spring; environmental science at Bahamas Plastic Movement Summer Camp and BNT’s Summer Safari in the Summer; the youth Cultural Exchange with Bell High School in the Fall and our first reception for members at Fernandez Bay Beach Club in the Winter.
2020 With Cat Island under Covid restrictions, CIU goes virtual with zoom Board meetings across settlements and countries. Directors help residents build kitchen gardens. Grants from the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation and Lyford Cay Charitable Trust are deployed to purchase valuable medical equipment for the health clinics and virtual learning equipment for schools.
2021 Friends of Cat Island United is incorporated a US non-profit for the sole purpose of supporting Cat Island United and deemed a 501(c)3 under the IRS revenue code.
The United Nations awards Cat Island United among “300 World Best Practices on Sustainability and Innovation” for the project underway “Improving Lives through Solar”, supported by the Global Environment Fund’s Small Grant Program, donors and volunteers.
Cat Island United Youth
Statement forming Cat Island United Youth to overcome The Great Division
Why Cat Island United?
At the first Town Hall meeting in 2015, a senior citizen rose to speak to the importance of coming together as one Island and getting over the division between north and south that she identified as standing in the way of progress.