San Diegan Producing Largest Festival In Cayman Islands' History
San Diegan Miles McPherson, a Caribbean American with Jamaican roots, returned to the Caribbean this week with a large team of volunteers to “do something” for the region. McPherson, a former NFL Player, Senior Pastor of the Rock Church and founder of Miles Ahead has produced the Cayman Islands “Do Something World Festival,” to take place May 14-15.
Cayman Islands (PRWEB) May 14, 2010
San Diegan Miles McPherson, a Caribbean American with Jamaican roots, returned to the Caribbean this week with a large team of volunteers to “do something” for the region. McPherson, a former NFL Player, Senior Pastor of the Rock Church and founder of Miles Ahead has produced the Cayman Islands “Do Something World Festival,” to take place May 14-15.
Watch the live stream at www. dosomethingcayman. com on Fri/Sat 4PM (PST).
The festival is expected to be the largest of its kind in the Islands’ history, and wraps up a week-long campaign of volunteer service the ministry, including a group of 90 San Diegans, brought to the island. The San Diego volunteers, who descended on the island this week to do their part in the service campaign, engaged in a range of projects. The San Diego contingent included a team of medical professionals who provided a series of health education seminars to more than 500 children, ages 5-11.
“Improving the quality of life for the Cayman people is at the heart of the medical team’s outreach,” said Joshua Kirby, an Emergency Medical Technician from the community of 4S Ranch, in San Diego
The medical team presented several seminars at the John A. Cumber Primary School in the West Bay region, featuring information on diabetes prevention, diet, hypertension and healthy lifestyle choices. They chose these topics because data released by the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) last September showed that childhood obesity is a growing problem in the Cayman Islands. In fact, the findings showed that one in every five children ages 11-14 are overweight.
Rolston Anglin, the Cayman Islands Government's Minister of Education visited John A. Cumber with Pastor Miles to observe the volunteers' efforts. Said Anglin, "It is of great value to the community, to the school, but more importantly to the Ministry of Education."
Kirby said the seminars included a diabetes expert who presented blood glucose sticks, showed the children how they worked, and how sugar flows through the body. A nurse on the team used felt boards to present diet information and discussed ways to address hypertension. A husband and wife lead a discussion on abstinence and healthy lifestyle choices, and the team together developed an educational activity and coloring book that they could leave behind with the children. They also stressed the importance of regular check ups.
Other services donated by the San Diego volunteers this week include:
Ministry and outreach to troubled teens and prisoners;
Building 12 new classrooms in the West Bay area of Cayman, adding 3,500 square feet of classroom space to overcrowded schools and saving the local government $1.2 million in the process; and
Working with local church leaders to help jumpstart their own service projects that can be sustained after the San Diegans depart.
The “Do Something World Festival,” produced by a partnership between Miles Ahead and the Cayman Ministers Association, will be held at the Black Pearl Skate Park in Grand Cayman. It has attracted sponsorship and support from nearly 20 local businesses and the Government's Ministry of Finance, Tourism and Development.
McPherson and his Miles Ahead team hope to improve lives of Cayman Islanders by bringing together civic, business and church organizations to love and serve their communities. Over the past several weeks, hundreds of volunteers have been addressing social issues in their communities related to the themes of family, education and the environment.
Miles Ahead hopes to announce additional outreach activities throughout the Caribbean region.
For further information, visit: www. dosomethingcayman. com.
About Miles McPherson and Miles Ahead:
Miles McPherson, a former NFL defensive back with the San Diego Chargers, has become widely known as the "Do Something Pastor." In addition to leading the Rock Church in San Diego, which was named one of the fastest growing churches in 2010, McPherson is the founder of Miles Ahead which has organized events in 20 cities, including Canada, Africa and the Caribbean. An author, McPherson recently released the much anticipated book Do Something! Make Your Life Count, encouraging people of all walks to serve others and make their life count.
Miles Ahead mobilizes volunteers to do something to transform their communities by partnering with church, business and community leaders to harness the power of volunteerism. Do Something World festivals begin with a 6-month service campaign leading communities to engage in volunteerism, and experience community transformation through sustainable and practical solutions. This culminates into a 2-day ALL AGES festival where Miles McPherson shares the good news of Jesus Christ and how this has transformed his life. In addition, festival goers enjoy exciting live music, gaming tents, a motorcross stunt show, children's areas, and delicious food.
Source: Miles Ahead / Rock Church
Contact:
Trish Teves - Do Something Cayman
Tel: 858.405.4385
Email: trish. teves(at)therocksandiego(dot)org
Photograph of Miles McPherson available at:
Http://docs. google. com/View? id=dgsbbfz_2245hshkg6ch (http://docs. google. com/View? id=dgsbbfz_2245hshkg6ch)
Http://docs. google. com/View? id=dhqks9pp_131ctwp5mfd (http://docs. google. com/View? id=dhqks9pp_131ctwp5mfd)
###
