Support Bonaire, Inc. Grants Over US$60,000
to Bonaire Charities in 2006

BOULDER, COLORADO, USA – March 29, 2007 – Support Bonaire, Inc., a U.S. non-profit organization created to help support Bonaire’s non-profit social and environmental efforts announced that its 2006 grants to various Bonaire non-profit organizations was US$60,271. Funding for Support Bonaire’s grants comes solely from individual donors who select from one of a series of special projects Support Bonaire has created to focus on particular needs on Bonaire. In some cases, donors may also request that Support Bonaire apply some part of their donation to their favorite charitable effort on Bonaire, a request that the Board of Directors of Support Bonaire typically honors.

During 2006, the top recipients of grants from Support Bonaire were two non-profit, non-governmental educational institutions – Unicollege and Stichting Leren is Leuk (which runs the Pelikaan School). Both organizations received these much needed funds thanks to the generosity of American individuals with a strong commitment to the future of Bonaire’s children. Other programs which educate the youth of Bonaire which received grant funding were Jong Bonaire and the Bonaire Marine Park’s youth education program.

Social programs for children and young adults which received smaller grants were the Maria Hoppner Stichting, the Stichting Project, and Stichting AVST (Wowo di Bario).

However, as Bonaire is known for its nature and environment, non-profit organizations which protect and promote Bonaire’s natural resources also received their share of targeted grants, led by Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) and the Donkey Sanctuary. The Bonaire Animal Shelter, Foundation Animal Welfare Bonaire, the Bonaire Marine Park, and Fondashon pa Bon Koral also received grants.

While the amount of money distributed may seem like a lot of money, it is minor compared to the funding needs of many of Bonaire’s non-profit organizations, and donors of past years are encouraged to donate again this year and support their favorite charitable project on Bonaire.

A majority of the donations to Support Bonaire to support these varied causes were donated on-line, via the Internet, at the Support Bonaire web site – www.SupportBonaire.org – where donations by credit card are accepted. 100% of all donations go directly to the target charities on Bonaire, as a small endowment received by Support Bonaire, Inc. some years ago is used to cover all administrative expenses. The Board of Directors of Support Bonaire, Inc. is composed entirely of volunteers, and the web site space and operation is donated by Stroke of Color, Inc., a U.S. company, all of which keep operational costs to a minimum.

It should be stressed that Support Bonaire, Inc. itself does not have funds to use to fund grants on Bonaire, but instead relies on American individual and corporate donors to provide funding for specific non-profit projects on Bonaire. Support Bonaire’s special non-profit charity status in the United States permits the organization to accept donations and fund non-profit efforts on Bonaire while allowing American donors to get a deduction on their taxes in the United States.

Support Bonaire, Inc. is an organization dedicated to helping fund non-profit environmental and social projects on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, by being a U.S. Internal Revenue Service-approved non-profit organization, which in turn allows donors to take a tax deduction on funds they donate to Support Bonaire, Inc. Support Bonaire, Inc.’s virtual offices can be found at http://www.SupportBonaire.org, and an on-line discussion group for the organization is located at http://www.BonaireTalk.com/sbi. The organization’s mailing address for monetary donations and other paper correspondence is PMB #340, 2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite E4, Boulder, Colorado 80302, U.S.A. Voice mail can be left at +1-303-484-4646, and FAXes can be sent to the same number. Contact via e-mail is preferred, at info@SupportBonaire.org.

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