Grand Belizean Estates Office broken into

When employees at the offices of Grand Belizean Estates arrived to work around 7:30am, they discovered that the place had been broken into. According to one of the employees, it appeared as though someone entered through a hole in the overhang of the roof of the building located on Barrier Reef Drive, upstairs of the Atlantic Bank kiosk. The intruder then entered the office after stamping a hole in the kitchen area. The back door was closed but unlocked, which is assumed to be the exit for the perpetrator(s).

Stolen from within were three (3) laptops - one (1) HP, one (1) Dell, and one (1) Compaq brand. The offices were ransacked, and paperwork/files were strewn all over. Coffee was used to vandalize portions of the office space, and it seemed that the intruders helped themselves to some snacks that were located in the kitchen area, after which, they defecated on the kitchen floor.

Grand Belizean Estates is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who can bring forward information that leads to the recovery of the laptops and to the arrests of the individual(s) responsible.

Students participate in reading camp

Some 80 students completed a one week reading camp on Friday, August 13th, 2010. The reading camp was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education under the theme, “Learn to read, read to learn.” The camp started at the San Pedro High School on Monday August 9th from 8:00am to 2:00pm.


According to San Pedro Education Officer Candy Armstrong, the reading camp seeks to improve the reading skills and vocabulary of the students. The students are from different schools on the island and are from various grades. The camp concentrated in two main areas, reading skills and writing. The reading camp was promoted in various schools before classes closed for vacation.
On Wednesday, representatives of Grand Belizean Estate Company visited the kids and handed out t-shirts for their participation. The donation is in an effort to show support to the reading camp and encourage others to participate in such important activities. Armstrong said that the t-shirts will be given to the students on the final day of the camp along with a bag each of assorted schools supplies. The Ministry of Education hopes to make the reading camp an annual event.

Grand Belizean Estate donates to ACES

The American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) located in the Toledo District received a well needed donation from Grand Belizean Estate Limited. The donation was in the sum of Belize $5,000 and will be used in the construction of a secure, natural habitat for crocodiles relocated to ACES’ facilities.
In a press release, ACES stated when relocating problematic crocodiles, their facility required a secure, natural habitat. The reptiles removed by the Forestry Department originate from various areas in the country and are taken to the ACES facilities. Crocodiles which have been removed from Ambergris Caye’s ecosystem have also found a home at ACES sanctuary.
ACES facility in the Toledo District

Grand Belizean Estate Managing Consultant Francisco Alvarado told The Sun that upon learning about ACES’s needs, Grand Belizean Estate did not hesitate to generously donate to the initiative. “We were impressed with the work ACES is doing to save these incredible animals. We became very much interested in contributing to the cause therefore we decided to make such a donation,” stated Alvarado. He added that they will continue to support ACES in their efforts to promote the protection of the American Crocodiles in Belize. He stated that Grand Belizean Estate has also committed their support to ACES’s desires in establishing a facility on the island, similar to that in the Toledo District.
With Grand Belizean Estate’s efforts to assist, ACES hopes to come up with a much need population assessment of the number of crocodiles and potential nesting sites in the area. Grand Belizean Estate stated that their donation is just one way they are giving back to the community. For the time being ACES said that the donation will help them significantly in the purchasing of some of the materials needed for the commencement of a 10,000 square feet containment area for the crocs. ACES is still short of $16,000 and are welcoming any donation. You can contact ACES by calling (501) 665-2762.