Mr. Friendly sits with pupils of Leonard Conner Primary School after he distributed Christmas gifts from St. Maarten Superhost and Leonard Enterprises.
"Have a friendly holidays and be proud of St. Maarten" was the message Mr. Friendly, the ambassador of St. Maarten Superhost, and representatives of Leonard Enterprises recently shared with pupils of Leonard Connor Primary School in Cay Bay.
Tamara Leonard of Superhost and Leonard Enterprises took Mr. Friendly to the school with heaps of gifts. Each child at the school received an age-appropriate gift to add to their holiday cheer. This is third year Leonard has contributed gifts to the school.
The gift-giving exercise is not the first time Mr. Friendly visited the school. He was there in November when he, Leonard and Superhost staff educated pupils about why it is important to keep St. Maarten safe and clean and about career choices that would help the country further development for their benefit as well as their families.
All pupils also took the pledge: "I am St. Maarten. You are St. Maarten. We are St. Maarten" as a commitment to their island home.
Leonard said Superhost, an internationally recognised customer service programme, teaches adults and youngsters the importance of being friendly and instils pride in the destinations where the programme is available.
"We are the Friendly Island, although over the years we have slipped a little. This is where Mr. Friendly comes in to help us regain that hospitality we have become famous for and where better to begin than in our schools," Leonard said.
Educator at Leonard Connor Primary, Shemaiah Daflaar-Fleming, described Leonard as "an entrepreneur, philanthropist and role model" who understand that he children of her school "are the future of St. Maarten" and the importance of teaching them about their country.
"She truly made it a Friendly Christmas. Words cannot express the joy on their faces," Daflaar-Fleming about Leonard’s gift-giving exercise.
Leonard also contributed to the school’s fundraising movie night, organised by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), held on December 18.
The school management and staff thanked Leonard and her staff for their generosity and time dedicated to the pupils.