September 2017, Barbados: More students/youth are set to benefit from the Sandals Foundation’s Game Changer Programme as the Programme forges another valuable partnership. Canadian based company, PTX Performance Products Inc. who is a leader in design, development, manufacturing, marketing & distribution of branded action sports equipment for mass retailers worldwide has donated over 11,000 pairs of their innovative Stable 26 basketball socks valued at USD $311,000 to boost the Game Changer initiative. Barbados recently received their allocation of these socks and were presented to the Holford Sports Academy by Sandals Barbados General Manager Mr. Fernand Zievinger. “The Sandals Foundation has made its mark in sports in Barbados by our partnerships with the Paradise Youth Football team; title sponsor of the Sir Garry Sobers International Cricket Tournament and our sponsorship to bring live broadcast of the Olympics and cricket to name a few. “Today we continue the tradition by giving to the Holford Sports Academy who are doing wonderful things for the young people of Barbados,” said Zievinger. President and Founder of the Holford Sports Academy, Ryan Holford, thanked the Luxury Included Resort for the donation and pledged to keep using sports as a vehicle to reach the young people of Barbados. “This donation comes at a critical time in Barbados when we hear a lot about the youth and the discipline they need. I believe sport can be used as one of those mediums and the Academy is already active in several communities doing what we can to help youngsters off the streets and offer positive guidance. We have some programmes coming up over the next few weeks and these socks will help to form an incentive for them as the cost of basketball or sporting gear is quite high, so thank you Sandals Foundation,” said Holford. The Game Changer Programme which is active in the islands of: Jamaica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Turks & Caicos focuses on engaging youth through their love for sports to impact positive change. The Programme has supported and introduced basketball, soccer and most recently American football to youth within the Caribbean islands through partnerships with sports celebrities and professionals such as: Dwyane Wade, NBA All-Star; Dwayne De Rosario (DeRo), Canadian footballer, and Darrelle Revis, NFL cornerback. In addition to participants having an opportunity to learn the sport from professionals, the programme ties mentorships and inculcating some most needed life skills such as etiquette and public speaking. The most recent donation of the ‘Stable 26 basketball socks’ to the programme will enable our youth in the islands of: Jamaica, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Turks & Caicos to be equipped in the gear worn by the basketball pros. The socks feature medial and lateal silicone pads to eliminate negative space around the heel resulting in a better fit, better comfort, and better performance. The innovative technology locks the heel in place, enhancing the connection between your foot and your footwear thus optimizing the body’s stability. These socks provide multi-direction stability and targeted cushioning to optimize court performance. Adam Landen, Account Manager of PTX Performance Products Inc, commented on why supporting the Sandals Foundation’s initiated Game Changer Programme was a perfect and natural progression to the company’s mission, “I am very excited about forging a relationship with Sandals Foundation. Here at PTX we are thrilled that we could make a difference in the lives of youth across the Caribbean with the contribution of our Stable26 athletic socks. It gives us great pleasure to know that our product will help these young athletes feel more comfortable in their footwear.” Heidi Clarke, Director of Programmes at Sandals Foundation expressed her own thank you to the newest Game Changer partners, “We are now into the period of our third anniversary for our Game Changer Programme. We have been heartened by the successes of the initiative and the growing international support which has increased our ability to engage our youth through schools and the wider community through an avenue that they love and are excited about. We have watched our children develop holistically in ways when we started us only hoped we could achieve and we could only attribute the achievement of these goals to the support from companies such as PTX Performance Products. Partnerships are always necessary and allow you to double the impact that you achieve alone.”