TORONTO — Sunwing has teamed up with Bentley to donate more than 250 new and gently used books and backpacks to the children of Concepción Bona School in the Dominican Republic.

This comes as a result of the successful back-to-school initiative spearheaded by Sunwing and Bentley in August 2021 to support children in destinations throughout the Caribbean that have been negatively impacted by the effects of COVID-19. Donations were collected in select Bentley retail stores across Quebec and Ontario.

“We are grateful to Bentley for their continued partnership with Sunwing and ongoing support of educational initiatives in destination,” said Samantha Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Sunwing. “The local communities in the Dominican Republic rely heavily on the tourism industry for educational and employment opportunities, and the last two years have meant the need for more support. Sunwing and Bentley have collaborated to donate useful resources to local schoolchildren in support of their educational development at a critical time.”

Along with their English teacher and school principal, 25 students from Concepción Bona School were invited to Royalton Splash Punta Cana An Autograph Collection All Inclusive Resort and Casino to collect the donations for their class and school, and enjoy the amenities on property for a full day of fun.

To celebrate the occasion, the students were joined by: Sandrine Giry of Bentley, Sunwing Experiences and Nexus Tours representatives, Royalton Luxury Resorts’ Executive Team including Stefano Sturni, General Manager, Royalton Splash Punta Cana, Juan Tunon, Regional Director of Operations, Spanish Caribbean and Lucia Grullón, Regional Commercial Director for the Dominican Republic, and the hotel brand’s Talent and Culture Managers and Sustainable Tourism Coordinator.

“We are thrilled to have collectively donated more than 250 books and backpacks to schoolchildren in the Dominican Republic,” said Giry. “It was a pleasure to be on the ground with Sunwing in Punta Cana this month to see first-hand how we, with the support of our customers, have been able to make a positive contribution to the community.”

The donated books and backpacks were flown to Punta Cana on board Sunwing Airlines at no cost, while Sunwing Experiences was instrumental in ensuring a seamless delivery to Royalton Splash Punta Cana.

As part of an ongoing commitment to give back to the local communities, the Royalton Luxury Resorts Executive Team hosts free English classes each week at Concepción Bona School for 376 students in grades four through six, helping to enrich their lives and jumpstart a new generation of tourism professionals.

The efforts of the hotel brand further reinforce the work of Sunwing’s Flying Start program, which aims to ensure that students in destinations that Sunwing serves are provided with the tools and building blocks needed for a successful education. Sunwing’s Flying Start initiative was established in 2018 and to date has supported educational programs in Jamaica, Tobago, Antigua and the Dominican Republic.