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Hartling Group is proud to be actively involved in community outreach programs in the Turks & Caicos. It is important for the company to support projects that enhance the quality of life for island residents. Hartling Group does more than develop buildings – it supports the development of strong and sustainable communities.
The annual breast cancer awareness fund-raiser is hosted each October by The Palms Turks & Caicos, a Hartling Group resort. For more details, visit (and like!) the In The Pink Facebook page.
Transportation Makes Provo Accessible
Named for the biblical reference to Jehovah Nissi, the memorial altar erected by Moses, the word Nissi translates to mean “Lord is my banner” or “Jehovah is my refuge”.
The Nissi House, founded by Canadians Sue and Graham Chapman, provides refuge for orphans. It is a seven bedroom, four bathroom, privately operated orphanage that, only one year after opening its doors, had reached maximum occupancy. The 12 children, seven boys and five girls, range in age from 4 to 14, and attend 3 different schools on the island.
Transportation for the children was a great concern for the operators and, on January 18, 2007, Hartling Group provided The Nissi House with a 10-seater Toyota Grand Cabin. Now the children attend school, church and other community activities in their new air-conditioned van.
Turks & Caicos Aids Awareness Foundation
Stan Hartling is an honorary member and active fundraiser for the Turks & Caicos AIDS Awareness Foundation (TCAAF). TCAAF, established on World AIDS Day on December 1, 2003, is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS through educational programs and fundraising events.
Working to Create an Informed and Safer Community
The mission of TCAAF is to use education and awareness events to elevate the understanding of HIV/AIDS, its causes and prevention, to prevent the spread of misconceptions and related stigmas, and to support lifestyle and behavioral changes required to combat the disease.
“TCAAF is critical because there is no organization or cause that can have the ability to save a life than this organization,” says Stan Hartling. “The dollars invested into this cause can have more potential impact on a life and a community than any other organization.”
Funds raised through events such as the 2006 CHARITY HORSERACING NIGHT are donated to a number of local charities such as the HIV/AIDS Orphan Fund and the AIDS Hospice, and also used to create peer led awareness groups in local schools.
Other fundraising goals include building a Youth Centre on the island to be used for educational meetings and as a safe gathering place for youth.
Hartling Group is proud to support the work of TCAAF and believes that fostering an informed community is the first step to combating the devastation of HIV/AIDS.
Improving Care on the Island
When Stan Hartling learned that someone was flying to Grand Turk several times a week to get life-saving dialysis, he knew immediately that he had to help provide this essential service on Providenciales.
Hartling Group views itself as part of the community and strives to improve the quality of life for its residents. In this case, the need was critical, and its benefits, immediate.
Kidney dialysis uses a machine to eliminate the toxic waste build up in the blood of a person whose kidneys do not function properly. The waste removal treatment can be used temporarily for patients recovering from transplant, or on an ongoing basis for patients with poorly functioning kidneys. Two needles, one to capture the blood from the body, and the other to return the detoxified blood back to the body, are inserted into the patient. The process takes about 3 hours during which time the dialysis machine filters the blood and removes excess fluid buildup.
Patients on dialysis are forced to schedule their days based on treatment, and the additional travel costs and time to receive treatment compound the impact of the disease and add further stress to both the patient and their family.
“I felt that the investment for one of the first machines would have a major immediate impact on the day to day lives of several people living on the island,” says Stan of his decision to purchase the first dialysis machine for the residents of Providenciales. “It had to be done.”
Hartling Group recognizes that as a prominent business entity on the islands, it has a responsibility to the community. The Company considers itself a partner in the community and works to make a positive difference where possible.
Rediscovering Island History
In participation with the Turks & Caicos Museum, Hartling Group is a premium sponsor in funding the search for the Trouvadore shipwreck. The Trouvadore, a Brigantine sailing under Spanish papers from Santiago, Cuba, sank off the shores of the Turks & Caicos. As a result of the shipwreck, 89 men, 26 women, 39 boys, 11 girls and 3 infants destined for slavery, were absorbed into the community as free residents.
Hartling Group is keen to uncover the history of the Trouvadore, as well as any artifacts from the shipwreck, in order to provide a tangible historical asset to the island. The shipwreck is significant to the Turk & Caicos Islands because the 1843 census conducted by the Bahamas government recorded the island’s population as 2495; if all 168 liberated Africans from the Trouvadore had survived until 1843 they would have made up 6.7% of the population, and therefore highlight an important African link to the community.
This discovery and subsequent connection to African ancestry is significant to establish local ties to the past and to re-stimulate appreciation of local cultural roots. Hartling Group and the Cultural Department on the island are eager to preserve the arts, crafts, music and storytelling culture, as well as create formal and informal education channels to engage young islanders to their local history.
The story of the Trouvadore is not just a national story. Rather, its discovery and subsequent exhibition will provide a historical perspective on the little covered transitional period from Slavery to emancipation in the Americas. Stan Hartling is a strong supporter of expanding local cultural knowledge and increasing community pride, and hopes that the discovery and identification of the Trouvadore slave ship is imminent.
You Can Take the Rink Away from the Canadian…
With roots in hockey-loving Canada, it only made sense for Hartling Group to become one of the original founding sponsors of the Provo Hockey League. Stan Hartling has helped coach this rapidly growing group since inception of the league. Established in 2004, today the league boasts a membership of 180 strong.
“We are proud supporters of the Provo Hockey League,” states Stan Hartling. “It fosters relationships and team building among all of the youth of the Islands, including children of all nationalities.”
The popularity of the sport, and the enthusiasm of the teams have led to the creation of two national teams that have competed in tournaments in the USA.