Copyright virginislandsdailynews
How exciting to hear, the Virgin Islands has money to burn, as evidenced by the recent revelation that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. wants a film crew to document his last year in office. This is an opportunity the entire community has been eagerly awaiting! And, it would be wonderful if the public could offer suggestions on how to spend that extra surplus of money, before the deal is made. To quote a portion of the 13-page document soliciting bids for this project , “The film will provide a behind-the-scenes look at defining moments of the Governor’s last year in office, highlight major achievements during his two terms, and present an intimate portrait of his upbringing and early career.” The amount of public money being made available for the film has not been disclosed, but according to the request for proposals, “Budget will cover pre-production, filming, travel between islands, post-production, licensing for archival materials, original music composition, and final distribution. Detailed budget to be developed in consultation with the selected production company.” Considering that the budget is up for grabs for this film, it sounds like there will be a good amount of public money spent. So, let’s hope that suggestions from average Virgin Islanders start pouring in! So here is suggestion No. 1. In keeping with the spirit of an awesome inspiring film touting achievements of one elected official, we could offer different parameters that benefit the needs of the many rather than the ego of the one. How about we switch the topic of this film to all the wonderful nonprofits of the Virgin Islands? The film could show how hundreds of volunteers work tirelessly to fill the gap in the government’s resources. How about we have that film crew go up to the Humane Society? They can see the explosion of animals up there that volunteers are caring for day in and day out. How about documenting in this film the work of the Family Resource Center, which takes care of domestic violence and child abuse victims? How about a breeze through all the food feeding programs and food pantries, with the camera zooming in on the empty shelves? The film could document all the youth groups that are trying to fund raise. The film crew can also walk the streets of the Virgin Islands, blurring out the photos of our fellow citizens who are homeless and destitute. This “no budget” film could encompass so many other nonprofits that are trying to help and it would be a wonderful way to showcase their needs and lack of funding. No pride of authorship in the suggestions above. Virgin Islanders need to put their thinking caps on and start calling their senators about all the wonderful ideas of how to spend this surplus of unexpected money in our public purse. — Maria Ferreras is a longtime St. Thomas resident and community volunteer.
