By Carlena Knight
One new mother is all smiles after receiving some much-needed assistance.
Rushana Tudor, of Liberta, and her newborn son Kavani Anthony were the first ever recipients of the ‘Welcome Baby Box’ initiative by local entertainment group Ignite 268.
The programme, which will now be an annual occurrence on the group’s August 11 anniversary through its charitable arm Shining Lights, gives the first mother to deliver on that day a goody bag filled with the necessities for a newborn.
Tudor expressed her joy and gratitude to group founder Brianna Lewis and her team for their support.
“I am very happy and thankful to the Ignite organisation and Shining Lights for their kind gesture. It will be very handy especially in this time and I am just very thankful,” said Tudor.
Lewis, who presented Tudor and her baby with the gifts, said she “was just happy to put a smile on their faces”.
She further explained that even after the initial donation the Shining Lights arm will remain in contact with these mothers and assist in any way possible in the long run.
“Our aim is to shine a light on issues affecting us in Antigua and Barbuda. For the most part, we are of the opinion that some persons are not as fortunate as some and having a newborn is one of the greatest gifts from God and we would love to make that moment extra special for someone,” said Lewis.
In addition to this initiative, Lewis revealed that Ignite 268 and Shining Lights have been involved in conducting school tours geared towards educating youths on the importance of mental health.
She says, despite the tour being interrupted due to Covid, they will be making plans to host virtual sessions leading up to World Mental Health Day in October.