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Which Business Donated More Than $50k to the Community in 2013?

beach ThankYou

Let’s end the year off right by giving credit where credit is due. We’d like to publicly acknowledge one business for its vast contributions to the St. John community throughout 2013. That business is Grande Bay.

Now let’s first address the elephant in the room – Grande Bay isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. (We know, we read all of your emails and comments, both positive and negative.) It seems that people either love it or hate it, but what’s important is the fact that Grande Bay is doing a pretty darn good job of being a good neighbor, not to mention that it’s a pretty cool place to stay.

Throughout 2013, Grande Bay has donated more than $50,000 to the community, mostly in the form of nightly stays. That’s a pretty huge number if you ask us. In fact, it’s the same amount that Kenny Chesney donated to Friends of Virgin Islands National Park last summer. Kudos to both.

Here is a list of the organizations/events that Grande Bay supported in 2013:

  • Wounded Warrior Project
  • Little Pink Houses of Hope
  • Rotary Club Flavors event
  • Julius Sprauve School – fundraiser
  • Gifft Hill School – fundraiser
  • Mount Carmel Church – fundraiser
  • St. John Rescue
  • Animal Care Center’s annual gala, No Fleas Please fundraiser and Wagapalooza event
  • St. John Yacht Club & Kids and the Sea (KATS)
  • St. John Cancer Fund
  • Woody’s Save Second Base Block Party
  • Relay for Life
  • St. John Dinghy Poker Run

Grande Bay also donates all of its aged and/or discolored towels and linens to one of our favorite organizations – the Animal Care Center (ACC). Speaking of our favorite furry friends, we’d also like to publicly thank Sirenusa for donating $4,225 to the ACC last month. The money was a combination of a direct donation from Catalus Capital, as well as proceeds from a silent auction.

So again, a huge thank you to Grande Bay, Sirenusa, Kenny Chesney and all of the other businesses, residents and tourists who supported the St. John community in one way or another throughout 2013. Kudos to all of you.

See you next year!


13 thoughts on “Which Business Donated More Than $50k to the Community in 2013?”

  1. Corporations use “appropriate virtue” in the guise of community service as a PR means to regain support after highly questionable acts and practices. The scale and scope of GB has and always will be completely out of proportion to the surroundings. It also led to the permature death of Doris Jadan. It led to Liz Trey filing lawsuit to try and stop it because the height and scale destroyed her property value….Now that it has been bullt and opened….it remains one of the islands blights, particularly with SIRENUSA as well as other failed half finished development projects in Chocolate Hole and other areas…..Killing the goose that laid the golden egg comes to mind….

    • I remind all that this is my personal opinion and subjective…there are those who dont agree obviously….stevie wonder types 🙂

      Have a great new year!

      • So with this second comment you reminded us that your post was full of emotion, not based in fact and that you are full on butt hurt over Grande Bay’s success. Why don’t you explain to all the organizations and foundations they donated to that the money they gave them really was very generous because of “appropriate virtue”. (which, by the way, you have no idea they are using)

  2. Dan, who was Doris Jaden? How did the project affect her premature death? Who approved for the Grande Bay project to move forward? I dont live on the island and I really dont know.

  3. Grande Bay does not deserve any recognition. Giving $50K of donated rooms is nothing out of their deep pockets. And I do believe its a tax write-off for them. Being in the sponsorship business I know how this works. I doubt they they ponied up $50K cash to help St John with anything. Of course, when doing sponsorships – it all helps but Grande Bay is looking out for only themselves. Shame on them and shame on this article promoting them.

    • Yes, shame on them for giving rooms to the dying cancer patients and their families from Little Pink Houses of Hope, they should be embarrassed for helping the animals at the ACC, and who do they think they are donating rooms and time for the Wounded Warrior Project. What gives them the audacity to do this when, afterall, they probably get a tax write off. HOW DARE THEY!

      • The overall negative tone in the majority of these comments is disheartening. I hate to hear this type of emotion when thinking of Love City!

  4. It should be noted that these are for the most part all EDC companies that get HUGE tax reductions (in most cases pay no property tax, no gross receipts tax or the like) and are required to contribute “x’ amount per year based on whatever they agreed upon with the government. And I’m sorry but donating hotel nights that cost nothing isn’t something I can get all cranked up about- again just a personal opinion.

    • What you said: “It should be noted that these are for the most part all EDC companies” What it should have said: There is something called an EDC company. Grande Bay may or may not be one, I have no idea. They may get HUGE tax deductions but then again they may not because I am not sure what I am talking about. They might pay property taxes, but again, I have no idea about any of this, so they might be paying a lot.

      VillaQueen, how many rooms did you donate to charity in 2013? It better be substantial considering how you are bashing the giving of others.

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