St Lucian gives Gros Islet vendors $20k

A St Lucian journalist has raised a substantial sum for vendors in the north of the island who have had little or no income in the past three months because of the virus.

Kenson “Bay Bay” Casimir, organiser of the Gros Islet Virtual Friday Night Fundraiser presented a cheque of EC$20,447 (KY$6,300) from funds raised from the event to the Gros Islet Vendors’ Association.

Casimir hosted a virtual telethon on May 8 dedicated to raising funds for the Gros Islet vendors who lost their income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shut down in tourism in St Lucia.

The Virtual Fundraiser was held on television and social media, attracting over 50,000 viewers and featured local artists including Cooyah, Ezra d fun machine, Kisha, Mighty, Freezy, Blackboy, Michael Robinson, Big Sea; Friday Night DJs Mad Crew Sounds and international sensation DJ Kevin Crown.

The event has been dubbed the “largest and most entertaining online fundraiser in Saint Lucia’s history” by persons who were viewing from home.

Casimir said: “The immediate willingness of artists who performed to raise funds for the vendors was absolutely heart-warming. Everyone came together in such a short space of time to help out and played their part whether as volunteers to man the phones, as the production team, as performers, as persons pledging, St Lucians locally and abroad really came out to show their support.”