Dear Coco Point Fund Friend, We hope this letter finds you well. As we head into the holiday season, we wanted to share our efforts over this past year, and the success we have been with our strategic partners.
We also wanted to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for your past support of CocoPoint Fund in the past. Since hurricane Irma in 2017 your generous contributions have made a significant impact on the lives of so many on the island. As our focus has become sharply focused on the education of the youth of Barbuda, we can confidently say that your donations today ignite the hopes and dreams that fill our school community, both students and teachers.
The Future Project
| As you may recall, Coco Point Fund vowed to become more potent and targeted in our efforts to change education in Barbuda. Collaborating with our strategic partner, The Future Project (www.thefutureproject.org) has been a great success. Last school year was the first full year deploying The Future Project at the Sir McChesney George Secondary School. It has now rolled into it’s second year, with all the learnings from the previous year making it poised for even more impact. The focus over the 2024-2025 school year was on providing students with the personalized guidance they need to turn potential into reality. Our one-on-one coaching and mentorship program took off, with an increasing number of students seeking support for resume writing, college applications, interview preparation, and internship placements. Tiana (Future Travel Nurse) and Raytayjah (Future Cardiothoracic Surgeon), are two inspiring stories that expressed interest in the medical fields. This past July, they were both selected to participate in a micro-internship with The Health Department of the Barbuda Council, coordinated by The Future Project. The students volunteered at the Hanna Thomas Hospital Wellness Clinic and shadowed home visits, guided by the island’s leading professionals in the health sector. The students were thrilled to gain hands-on experience and took full advantage of the opportunity that aligned with their dreams. Beyond core academics, we are proud of the energies put forth towards extracurricular activities, with many clubs sparking the students’ creative arts talents. The 10-week Crochet Club, led by the passionate Mrs. Benta, was a massive success, culminating in one Form 2 student, Glenika, turning her newfound skill into a business: “Luxury Dreads by Nika” is already accepting custom orders! |
Furthermore, Pastor Elliott stepped up as a true role model for the 3rd Form Victory boys, teaching the Building Tech class in the absence of a permanent instructor. The boys thrived under his guidance, completing the impressive project of building two beautiful ottomans. These technical skills were also reinforced by a series of engaging workshops throughout the year with Barbudan professionals, including contractors, engineers, and entrepreneurs, ensuring our students gain practical, community-relevant knowledge.
Pastor Elliott and his 3rd Form Victory boys with their Ottoman!
Finally, in a year marked by significant loss in our community, we prioritized mental and emotional well-being. Our community lost, Ms. Roberta Charles and Ms. Tamar Webber who were both dedicated caretakers at the school; Mrs. Eudalyn Jeffery – the mother of Mr. Everett Thomas; and Mr. Atkinson Beazer who was a respected politician and the brother of our dear colleague, Mrs. Darlene. At the end of April, we hosted registered psychotherapist Jamion Knight, who provided invaluable in-class sessions and one-on-one sessions on topics like empathy and grief for students, faculty, and the wider community. This support was timely and essential, reflecting our commitment to nurturing the whole child.
As the 2025-2026 school year kicked off, our team has grown even stronger, and we look forward to making meaningful impact on the ground.
The Sport Court Completed
Tremendous progress was made this year to complete the Sports Court at Sir McChesney George Secondary School. The sports court is a part of our educational focus with The Future Project to incorporate physical education and competition in the development of the students. We are extremely grateful for all the contributions that made this possible, especially for the significant contribution of The Barbuda Ocean Club, who donated all the concrete needed to build the court.
A House for Dr. Deazle
Dr. Deazle has been a medical family physician supporting the health of Barbudan residents for over 25 years. He had no permanent residence on Barbuda and commuted from Antigua. Following one of our boards key principals of providing financial assistance to Barbudans who contribute at least half the cost of building or renovation (“skin in the game”), we are happy to help the doctor with his home renovation, ensuring he and his family have a place to stay so that he will be able to continue helping his community.
The William Cody Kelly Scholarship Foundation
| The CCPF WCK Scholarship has been supporting Barbudan students pursuing professional training or higher education for 27 years. In 2025 we awarded $54,500 in grants to 20 different students. 8 recipients are pursuing education degrees including 3 current school teachers looking to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Language and Literacy Education. Other areas of study include pursuing Medical Degrees, MBA’s, MFA’s, Sports Sciences, Political Science, Social Science, MS in Sustainable Development, Boatmaster’s Certification, Marketing, and Hospitality Management. The students work very hard and provide regular check-ins after each semester updating us on their grades and studies. |
How to Donate
| In conclusion, thank you again for your past support. As you can see above, we continue to put your contributions to work in a disciplined and hopefully effective manner. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of our board members. To continue excellent work, we need your ongoing support, so please donate to The Coco Point Fund today. Sincerely, The Coco Point Fund Board of Directors: Mike Smith, Craig Henderson, Joan M. Minshall, Tim Coleman, Emily Sommerfield Kunschner, Werner Minshall, Jeff Reed, Kerry Binard Please consider a donation to the Coco Point Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the Island and the people of Barbuda. If you know of any other individuals or charitable foundations that might be interested in helping our mission, please let us know! Contributions via Check may be mailed to: “The Coco Point Fund” C/O Joan Minshall 12 Oxford St Chevy Chase, MD 20815 *Please make checks payable to The Coco Point Fund If you need assistance donating through another financial vehicle please contact: Joan M. Minshall at jmacleod@pearlequitypartners.com |
We accomplished a lot in 2019. We rebuilt several teachers’ homes, supplied paint for 40+ homes, rebuilt the three bus stops on the island, and participated along with the Barbuda Ocean Club (BOC), the Jumby Bay Fund (JBF) and the Mill Reef Fund(MRF) in both installing a 100,000 gallon water storage tank and refurbishing the existing desalination plant on the island. We are hopeful that, for the first time in over 2 years, the people will have fresh, quality running water 24/7 before!
After having rebuilt the Nursery School and the Daycare Center in 2018, we partnered with Meteor Education in Florida to send two teacher trainers to the Nursery School for four days. We also sent new furniture, teaching materials, iPads, and much more so that we could start the process of 21st century “differentiated” learning in this school. The trainers also did an evaluation of the Holy Trinity middle school as we think about improving educational outcomes there as well! This initiative was a huge success!
Through our Scholarship Fund, we continue to support qualified students in attending universities in Antigua, the U.S., and around the world! With $38,000 in grants, we currently support 11 young men and women from Barbuda in furthering their post-secondary education. As more families return to Barbuda, we expect the demand for these scholarships to continue, if not grow!
As a board, we are still looking at many new projects. Our first focus will be to continue and expand our educational improvement plan. We are working to develop a five year plus plan (rolls out in stages) for grades 1-7. The cost of this initiative will be at least $1 million in total over the next five years. It will involve training 3x per year in each grade, new modem classroom design, furniture, technology and curriculum. We hope to get support from our other partners (JBF, MRF, BOC, and others). We believe that this initiative would bring lasting social and economic change for decades to come.
Our other big initiative is to participate with JPF, MRF and others in building 20-30 new, two-bedroom, hurricane proof homes in a new “subdivision” that will be built on higher ground near the high school. This initiative will cost around $2-3 million (approximately $100,000 per home). We hope to participate in the building of three to five homes. JBF has committed to building fifteen to twenty homes.
While life is certainly better than it was two years ago, it is nowhere near back to normal. Work is moving at a feverish pace at the 
Please consider a donation to the Coco Point Fund, a 501(c)(3) organization committed to the Island and the people of Barbuda.
