FirstBank And Lutheran Social Services Host Employee Appreciation Event For Queen Louise Home Staff

ST. CROIX — Over 40 employees of the Queen Louise Home for Children gathered at Paradise Café in Frederiksted on Thursday for an employee appreciation event hosted by FirstBank and Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands, according to a press release Firstbank issued this afternoon.

Established on St. Croix in 1904, the Queen Louise Home for Children is a program of Lutheran Social Services of the Virgin Islands (LSSVI) – the largest private, nonprofit social services agency in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The facility provides a safe haven and 24-hour residential foster care for children in the Virgin Islands who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected, and/or have severe disabilities.

As an avid supporter of LSSVI, FirstBank executives recently visited the Queen Louise Home to interact with the children and the employees. From that visit and the interactions with the wonderful staff, an idea was developed to host an appreciation event to celebrate the employees of the Home.

“At FirstBank, we are inspired by the programs and services of nonprofit organizations, such as Queen Louise Home for Children that improve the quality of life of individuals and make our community a better place to live,” said Victor Santiago, SVP Regional Business Director.

“Sometimes we forget the “unsung heroes” of these organizations who work tirelessly behind the scene to maintain a supportive and welcoming atmosphere for the children and should definitely be commended and recognized for their contributions. We are proud to partner with Lutheran Social Services on this well deserved employee appreciation event,” Mr. Santiago added.

Dana Holtz, director of Queen Louise Home expressed gratitude to the banking institution for its continuous support.

“Thank you to FirstBank for allowing us this opportunity to show our appreciation to our amazing team at Queen Louise Home for Children. I want to thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart for what you do on a daily basis. Because of you the children in our care are meeting developmental milestones, are learning to manage challenging behaviors, and grow each day. Because of you, they have a safe place to be,” Ms. Holtz said.

Junia John-Straker, CEO of LSSVI opened the event by thanking each employee for their commitment and dedication to the children and the agency. Straker also expressed sincere thanks to FirstBank for their continued support of the agency.

Event attendees enjoyed food, fun and music. In addition each employee received “thank you” goodie bags courtesy of FirstBank and Lutheran Social Services.