Cane Bay Partners VI LLLP co-founders David Johnson and Kirk Chewning have announced the launch of free virtual tutoring for students in the Virgin Islands and the successful transition of 30 employees to work from home in response to the COVID–19 pandemic.
Cane Bay Cares, the company’s service initiative, launched the homework assistance portion of its Operation Inspire After-school Program on a virtual platform to assist families during school closures. About 50 students from public, private, Montessori, home and parochial schools have been served so far.
Operation Inspire enlists V.I. teachers to provide homework assistance and project-based learning in subject areas such as math, science, English, social studies, technology, agriculture and the arts. The online tutoring program will continue to assist the territory’s students while school facilities are closed.
“We are really excited to offer this program online to our community and hopefully alleviate some of the pressure families are experiencing,” said Neisha Christopher-Christian, Cane Bay Cares charitable giving manager.
Cane Bay Cares also is supporting the community by providing breakfast, snack bags and hygiene kits to the homeless through Frederiksted Health Care Inc. The organization also provided funding to feed the elderly at Flambouyant Gardens and Genip Garden through a partnership with My Brother’s Workshop. AP Calculus textbooks were donated to the St. Croix Educational Complex.
In addition to the community work, Cane Bay Partners moved quickly to transition its employees to work from home in order to keep them safe while meeting the needs of the business during stay-at-home orders. The company’s technology team took 10 days, beginning March 20, to mobilize and setup employees to resume daily operations from home.
The company’s human resources department also worked to execute policies and procedures that govern this unique situation while ensuring all employees remain safe and secure.
“I’m so proud of our company for springing into action and working together under completely unprecedented circumstances,” Chewning said. “It was no easy task, but we knew early on that we had to do whatever was necessary to maintain operations while also protecting our people and serving our community.”
Cane Bay Partners is prepared to ensure business operations are aligned with the government’s directives, while remaining agile as the situation evolves. Internally, the company is holding weekly check-ins and surveys to make sure they are responding appropriately to the situation.
“Our employees are our No. 1 priority, but we’re also focused on doing what’s best for the community,” Johnson said. “We will continue to do all we can to keep our employees safe, while looking for ways to support the community as a whole during this difficult time.”
About Cane Bay Partners VI LLLP was formed in June 2009 and founded by internationally experienced business executives with many years of experience in the financial services industry. The company has elected to specialize in three areas where it believes its core competencies reside: (1) management consulting (2) risk management/scorecard development and (3) service provider analysis.
About Cane Bay Cares is a service initiative of St. Croix-based Cane Bay Partners VI LLLP and a project of local 501c3 St. Croix Foundation. Its long-term mission is to raise awareness and support for critical issues facing the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. The organization is committed to addressing both short and long-term issues facing the island and its residents.
For more information on Operation Inspire, visit www.CaneBayCares.org/education/
