PHILIPSBURG:--- On the evening of Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill was transformed into a living testament to what a village looks like when it shows up for its children. Under the theme “Foster the Future,” the Judicial & Institutional Services Foundation (J&IS), through its Foster Families Central Department, officially launched Foster Care Awareness Month 2026, an evening that moved hearts, stirred consciences, and called an entire community to action.
Government officials, social workers, foster families, volunteers, artists, educators, policy workers, foster children, community leaders, and members of the public filled the hall, united by a shared belief: that every child deserves a safe, loving, and permanent place to call home.
A Prayer to Open, a Purpose to Guide
Before the first word of the program was spoken, the evening was anchored in something deeper. J&IS Board Secretary Marisha Olivacce-Carty opened the gathering with a powerful prayer that set a tone of reverence, compassion, and collective purpose. Her words invited all present to look beyond the ceremony of the evening and toward the sacred responsibility it represented, the protection, dignity, and nurturing of every child entrusted to the care of this community. It was a reminder that the work of foster care is not merely institutional; it is profoundly human, and at its best, it is a calling answered with faith and love.
An Evening That Moved and Inspired
From the very first notes of the St. Maarten National Anthem, performed by Courtney Yankey-Wilson, to the final symbolic gathering on stage, the evening flowed with grace and purpose under the skilled guidance of Masters of Ceremony Tatiana Arrindell and Prince Herbert Martina. Their warmth, professionalism, and heartfelt delivery set the tone for the entire evening, weaving each moment of the program together seamlessly and keeping the audience engaged from beginning to end. The program wove together artistic performance, personal testimony, and institutional recognition into a tapestry that honored the children at the center of the foster care system while rallying the broader community to their cause.
Young performers from Sunshine Children Center of Physical Development (Circus School), ranging from 4 years and up, dazzled the audience with their energy and joy. Students from the National Institute of Arts (NIA) delivered three profound musical performances: Florianthe Boasman performed “I’m a Survivor,” Nyah Kalmera performed “The Upside of New Beginnings,” and Shannell Bucknor delivered a stirring rendition of “Under Your Wings”, each song a quiet anthem for the children the evening honored. The MAC Primary School also delivered a captivating performance, and Dow’s Musical Foundation added their musical mastery to the program. Shamarr Hodge rounded out the artistic lineup with a moving piece of “spoken words” that brought the audience to its feet.
A Mural Born of Lived Experience
One of the most moving moments of the evening was the display of a collaborative mural created by fostered youth through a dedicated workshop funded by Art Saves Lives and guided by teaching artist Mrs. Zillah Duzon. The mural, vibrant, raw, and deeply human, was not simply artwork. It was a visual declaration of the voices, emotions, and personal journeys of the young people who created it. In every brushstroke, the youth communicated what words sometimes cannot: what it means to hope, to heal, and to belong.
The mural was featured prominently during a silent auction held throughout the evening, alongside additional paintings and artwork created by and for foster youth. Experiences and items generously donated by community organizations, including Kids Zone, Holland House Beach Hotel, Amsterdam Cheese Store, Sint Maarten Yacht Club, and CLEAN, were also featured in the auction, with all proceeds directed toward programs that directly support children within the foster care system. The silent auction was a powerful expression of community generosity and the shared investment in the futures of Sint Maarten’s most vulnerable children. The auction for the mural remains open until the closing of Foster Care Awareness Month at the end of May.
Voices That Cannot Be Forgotten
The heart of the evening belonged to those who have lived the foster care experience. In back-to-back testimonies that brought the audience to a profound stillness, a former foster youth stood before the room and shared her story briefly with quiet courage. Her words were a reminder of both the vulnerability and the resilience that children in the system carry.
Former foster parent Ms. Sharlien Espoza and current foster parent Ms. Natasha Oliver followed with their own testimonies, offering a window into the profound personal commitment that comes with opening one’s home and heart to a child in need. Their accounts illuminated the challenges, the sacrifices, and the immeasurable rewards of foster parenting, and served as a powerful invitation to others in the audience to consider the same calling.
A Minister’s Call: From Awareness to Responsibility
The official opening was delivered by the Honorable Minister of Justice, Ms. Nathalie Tackling, whose remarks set a tone of urgency and sincerity. Speaking with a blue ribbon pinned to her chest in recognition of Foster Care Awareness Month, the Minister did not speak in policy abstractions; she spoke in the language of community and conscience. She announced a significant step toward financially supporting foster families, confirming that the 2026 draft budget includes proposed adjustments that would more than double current financial support. This announcement carries profound importance for the foster care system on Sint Maarten. Financial barriers have long been one of the most cited obstacles preventing willing families from opening their homes to children in need. By more than doubling the support provided to foster families, Minister Tackling's proposed adjustment acknowledges that caring for a vulnerable child comes with real costs, and that the government has a responsibility to ensure those costs do not fall solely on the shoulders of compassionate individuals. This increase has the potential to recruit more foster families, improve the stability and quality of care children receive, and reduce the number of children who remain without a permanent, loving home simply because the system has not adequately supported those willing to provide one.
“We see them at the supermarket, at church, at the playground. We know their families, and sometimes we are their families. That closeness is one of our greatest strengths, but it also means that we cannot look away when we see a child who is struggling.”
Minister Tackling called on Sint Maarten to return to a village approach, where neighbors and families actively look out for one another and for children who may need care, guidance, or protection. She announced a significant step toward financially supporting foster families, confirming that the 2026 draft budget includes proposed adjustments that would more than double current financial support.
“My position as Minister is clear: it is far better to invest in prevention than in punishment. Every child who grows up supported, stable and with a sense of belonging is a child less likely to end up on the wrong side of a courtroom. That is not a social argument; it is a justice argument.”
Her remarks reinforced that child protection is not a charity matter; it is a justice imperative.
The Board’s Reflection: Restoring and Reconciling Our Communities
J&IS Board President Eunicio Martina delivered opening remarks that were at once deeply personal and profoundly institutional. Drawing on a recent experience abroad, Mr. Martina reflected on what it means to truly belong to a community, and the painful contrast he encountered upon returning home to Sint Maarten.
“What I carried home in my chest had nothing to do with food or language or faith. What stayed with me was their sense of community, the instinctive, unspoken way that people belonged to one another. The way a child was, everyone’s child.”
Martina turned the community’s attention to J&IS’s own mission statement, “For Restored and Reconciled Communities,” and issued a candid institutional reflection: that J&IS itself had not yet fully sat with the weight of those words. He extended an invitation to both the foundation and its stakeholders to undertake the deeper work of restoration and reconciliation, naming foster care as one of the clearest practical expressions of that calling.
“When a family opens its doors to a child who is not biologically theirs, that family is, in the most practical, most beautiful sense, restoring and reconciling our community. They are the village we keep talking about.”
Recognition, Gratitude, and a Village Moment
The Honorable Minister of Justice and the President of the J&IS Board jointly honored the evening’s performers with certificates of appreciation and a gift, a gesture that recognized not just their talent, but their courage in using art to tell stories that matter.
The program concluded with closing remarks by J&IS Director Mrs. Cynthia Clarke-Filemon, who offered a heartfelt tribute to the J&IS staff whose dedication, professionalism, and love for the children they serve made the evening possible. Special recognition was given to Bergelie Lumaine, who coordinated the event as part of her internship at J&IS, ably supported by family guardian Lisandra Pantophlet, a testament to passionate advocates stepping forward to serve Sint Maarten’s children. In a deeply symbolic and moving moment, Director Clarke-Filemon invited key individuals in attendance, those who have made significant and sustained contributions to foster care on Sint Maarten, to join her on stage. In what became the emotional crescendo of the evening, these individuals stood together side by side, a living embodiment of the event’s rallying cry: “Be the Village, Foster a Child.”
The Month Ahead: Foster The Future
Foster Care Awareness Month 2026 does not end with a single evening. Throughout the month of May, J&IS and Foster Families Central will continue a series of outreach initiatives focused on increasing the number of foster families across Sint Maarten, strengthening community partnerships, promoting foster care, mentorship, and volunteerism, and raising sustained public awareness about the ongoing needs of children in the system.
The month will culminate in a Walk-A-Thon on May 30, “Taking Steps to Foster The Future,” a community-wide march that invites every resident to physically demonstrate their commitment to the children of Sint Maarten.
Gratitude and Acknowledgment
J&IS extends its deepest gratitude to all who made the launch evening a success. A heartfelt thank you goes first to the Masters of Ceremony, Tatiana Arrindell and Prince Herbert Martina, whose dedication, warmth, and poise were instrumental in making the evening the success it was. Their contributions extended far beyond the stage, and J&IS is deeply grateful for their commitment to this cause. Thank you also to the performers and artists: Sunshine Children Center of Physical Development (Circus School), the National Institute of Arts (NIA), the Methodist Agogic Center, BFM Campus, Dow’s Musical Foundation, and Shamarr Hodge. To teaching artist Mrs. Zillah Duzon and Art Saves Lives for the transformative mural workshop. To all silent auction donors, sponsors, and community organizations whose generosity fuelled the evening and will continue to fund programs for children in care, including Kids Zone Playground, Holland House, The Cheese Factor, and Sint Maarten Yacht Club, for their valued financial contribution.
A very special thank you is extended to Director Steven Carty and the Point Blanche Prison, whose chefs and inmates generously prepared 100 snack boxes for the event, a remarkable act of community service and human dignity that did not go unnoticed. This contribution embodied the spirit of the evening: that everyone, in every corner of our community, has something meaningful to give. J&IS also wishes to thank event decorator Ms. Sue-Ellen Tyson Libretto for her beautiful work in creating the evening's atmosphere, Mrs. Duyorthana Plantein Castro for her creative support, and DJ Onil Plantein for keeping the spirit of the evening alive throughout the night.
J&IS also acknowledges its essential institutional partners: the Ministry of Justice Sint Maarten, the Court of Guardianship Sint Maarten, the Court of First Instance Sint Maarten, the J&IS Youth Residential Home and New Start for Children Home, and all stakeholders across the public sector, private sector, and civil society whose collaboration underpins the protection of children on this island. A special thanks also to the Honorable Minister of Justice, Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg, Judge Gerbert Drenth, Department Head of the Court of Guardianship Kimberly Dort-Brown, and Chief Prosecutor Manon Ridderbeks for their attendance and support. We also extend heartfelt appreciation to the members of the general public who purchased tickets, made donations, attended the event, participated in the silent auction, and helped amplify the message of foster care across the community. Your support and presence contributed directly to creating awareness, strengthening community involvement, and supporting children and families in need.
Finally, and above all, J&IS expresses its gratitude to the foster parents, foster children, volunteers, mentors, and community members who give of themselves every single day to ensure that no child faces the future alone.
Just as the evening began in prayer, it closed in the same spirit. Pastor Erick van Arneman offered a closing prayer that brought the room together in a moment of stillness and gratitude, a benediction not only for the night’s gathering, but for every child, every family, and every caregiver whose story intersects with foster care on this island. His words sent each person present into the night carrying something more than they arrived with: a renewed sense of responsibility, of hope, and of the quiet conviction that together, this community can and must do more for its most vulnerable children.
Every child deserves a family. Every family can be a village. Every village can change a life. Be the Village, Foster a Child, be their Future.
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