SINT MAARTEN (CUL DE SAC) - On Saturday August 31st the Sister Basilia Center (SBC) will celebrate 35 years of existence with a fun filled family day in the Emilio Wilson Park. The joyous anniversary will be celebrated with a full day of activities and the celebration is open to the public, free of charge.
The festivities start at 10 am, there will be a waterslide, laser tag, wet and dry bouncy castles, games, face painting and live performances by the clients of SBC and Funtopia. Food and drinks will be on sale and the day will close off with a grand raffle for which tickets will be sold throughout the day. The grand prize of the fundraiser raffle is a voucher from Winair for 2 roundtrip tickets.
Sister Basilia Center first opened its doors with a Daycare in South Reward, right next to the Catholic Church. Founded by the Catholic sisters from Voorschoten, the Netherlands, Sister Basilia herself was the driving force behind the first care activities on the island, specifically for persons with an intellectual disability.
In those days, most persons with disabilities were kept at home, away from public life. This changed for the better when the Daycare opened on August 28th, 1984 and the first clients started to make use of the services provided.
The Center developed with the support of loyal employees and volunteers and more and more clients found their way to the Daycare. In 2011 the board of the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation envisioned the need for a bigger facility, with full wheelchair access and special facilities for the growing group of clients.
Construction started on a new Daycare building in St. John’s Estate, and on June 28th, 2012 the brand new, two-story Daycare was festively opened. With the need for care growing, the Sister Basilia Center Daycare expanded from 35 to 45 clients and in the summer of 2018 the capacity of the Daycare was expanded to 65 clients.
Currently 57 clients are enrolled, and they participate in daily programs that are tailor-made for each client’s development and goals.
The board and management warmly invite the general public to come out to the 35th Anniversary Family Day in the Emilio Wilson park this Saturday between 10 am and 5 pm and join our clients and their families in celebrating this special day.