Governor de Jongh and Senate President Hill recently received a donation of $50,000 for the Virgin Islands Haiti Relief Fund from Fortune Brands, Inc,  the parent company of Cruzan Rum. The generous donation was presented by Matthew J. Shattock, President  and CEO of Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Inc at a ceremony at Government House, St. Thomas last week.

Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. and Senate President Louis Patrick Hill receive a $50,000 donation to the Virgin Islands Haiti Relief Fund from Matthew J. Shattock, President and CEO of Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Inc. the parent company of Cruzan Rum. The ceremony was held on February 25, 2009 at Government House, St. Thomas.

On receiving the check Governor de Jongh said, 

“We deeply appreciate this generous contribution from Fortune Brands and will ensure it is used to bring real assistance to the people of Haiti from the people of the United States Virgin Islands. This donation adds to the thousands of dollars already pledged by Virgin Islanders to assist emergency efforts for our Caribbean brothers and sisters during this difficult time.”

The donation was received by the Governor and Senate President on behalf of The Fund, which they jointly established as part of a territory-wide response to the devastation wrought on Haiti by last month’s paralyzing earthquake. 

Matt Shattock, President and CEO of Beam Global Spirits and Wine, the spirits business of Fortune Brands, said at the ceremony:

“The devastation in Haiti is a heartbreaking tragedy, and the Fortune Brands family is proud to play a part in the worldwide humanitarian response. Our commitment to Haiti earthquake relief is especially meaningful to our associates at Cruzan Rum on St. Croix, and we are pleased to partner with the Virgin Islands Haiti Relief Fund on their behalf.” 

To date, Fortune Brands and its employees have committed more than $130,000 to Haiti earthquake relief through corporate donations, employee contributions and matching gifts. 

The $50,000 check brings to $270, 000 the amount pledged to the fund to date. A significant portion of the donated contributions was raised through the VI Haiti Relief Telethon, a six-hour fundraiser broadcast live on WTJX Channel 12 on January 31, 2010, produced in conjunction with the Offices of the Governor and Senate President. 

Senate President Hill said, 

"Cruzan Rum, the Nelthropp family, and their dedicated employees have a history of coming to the aid of the Virgin Islands Community when disaster strikes. Fortune Brands continues their commitment to be a socially responsible company, connected to its Caribbean community, and has set a standard of excellence for corporate citizenship with their generous donation to the Haiti Relief Fund."

In addition to the Fund and Telethon, a special program has been launched through Innovative Telephone to enable the Haitian community in the territory to place free calls for 30 days to family, relatives and friends in Haiti. The call center in St. Thomas has been in operation for over a week at Tutu Park Mall in space donated by the Mall and is supervised by The Lion’s Club of Charlotte Amalie. The centers in St. John and St. Croix will be operational shortly.