The smiles of excited children have taken over at Faith Gardens Community Park in South Beach. Their swings are fixed. Benches restored. New plants are blooming. All of these improvements are a result of the hard work of volunteers from Miya Bahamas and the Water and Sewage Corporation (WSC) on Good Deeds Day 2016.

“The Water and Sewage Corporation is pleased to once again lend its support to its partner, Miya Bahamas, to help celebrate their third annual Good Deeds Day in The Bahamas,” said Visna Armbrister, Public Affairs Manager for WSC.  “Our staff, along with Miya’s staff, enjoyed reaching out to the Faith Gardens Community in a small but meaningful way to enhance the community park for the enjoyment of the residents, especially the children.”

Children from the surrounding community also pitched in on this meaningful project. “A special thanks to the students from the Sir Gerald Cash Primary School who joined us in this effort and showed so much excitement and enthusiasm to help clean up and repair their park. They really made the day special and it was fun to watch them in action as they eagerly helped with the various tasks,” Armbrister concluded.

Good Deeds Day is an annual tradition of good deeds created by Shari Arison, founder of Miya and a philanthropist, and takes place in over 70 countries in five continents. All over the world people choose to volunteer and help others, putting into practice the simple idea that every single person can do something good, be it large or small, to improve the lives of others and positively change the world. This year 1.5 million people participated in acts of kindness all on the same Good Deeds Day!

“As our good deed, volunteer employees of Miya Bahamas and the Water and Sewage Corporation gathered at Faith Gardens Community Park to give a few hours of their time to spruce up the park,” said Leonardo Simms, G.I.S. Analyst and Operator at Miya Bahamas and volunteer for Good Deeds Day 2016. “We repaired and painted swings and benches, planted new plants, and completely cleaned up the grounds. There were also giveaways for the children who play at the park every day.”

This year is the 10th anniversary of Good Deeds Day and the third year that Miya Bahamas and the Water and Sewerage Corporation has participated. Good Deeds Day has become an important activity to Miya Bahamas as well as the WSC staff.

Keen to support work in the South Beach area, Member of Parliament Cleola Hamilton, noted: “The South Beach community greatly appreciates that Miya Bahamas and the Water and Sewage Corporation chose Faith Gardens Community Park as their project for Good Deeds Day 2016. Our park has been cleaned up and beautified and this initiative offers a great example of government and private partnership in the improvement of our Bahamian communities.”

Last year, Miya and WSC volunteers enhanced the facilities at the Unity House Home for the Aged. They installed new bathroom fixtures, mowed the lawn, painted walls and picnic benches. The companies also donated food, cleaning supplies, towels, linens, bathroom fixtures and $2,500 to assist with future improvements. In 2014, the Elizabeth Estates Children’s Home benefited from Good Deeds Day.