SENATOR Edith Deleon Guerrero on Thursday donated more than 40 trikes and 53 scooters with helmets for the children at the Tanapag Youth Center.
A few weeks ago, the senator said, each member of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation received $18,000 for their respective offices.
The funds, according to Rep. John Paul Sablan, are the delegation’s share of the exclusive casino license fee paid by Imperial Pacific International in fiscal year 2019, but Gov. Ralph DLG Torres borrowed for the government’s Covid-19 pandemic response in 2020.
Sablan said the administration has already returned the money.
In an interview on Thursday, Deleon Guerrero said when her office received its $18,000 in delegation funds, “I figured, you know what, there are other programs that are in need of money and that we could help them. So I decided to reach out to [the Division of Youth Services]. I asked them what they need for the kids.”
The senator added, “I want the kids to know that somebody cares, and that they are loved.”
Providing the children at a DYS shelter with toys that make them happy, “is the kind of environment that I hope to see more in the Commonwealth. Again, it is primarily to make our kids feel safe and know that people really care for them, including elected officials like myself.”
She said public funds should be put to good use. “It is not about me. I’m all about doing what is good for our people especially our children. I just want [the kids] to know that they are loved,” she reiterated.
Deleon Guerrero also donated some of her office funds to the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and other social programs.
Division of Youth Services Administrator Sablan said what makes them stronger in terms of program and service delivery “is when we leverage our resources.”
And one way of doing that, she said, is by working with various organizations.
“Today, we are very fortunate that the office of Sen. Edith Deleon Guerrero donated these toys. She actually reached out to us a few months back and we started discussing about outdoor playground equipment for the children at the shelter,” the DYS director said.
The donated toys will allow the center to continue promoting health and wellness for the children by making sure that they have proper play equipment, she added.
She said the senator donated more than enough for the youth shelters, so some of the trikes and scooters will be brought to the Kagman Community Center.
“They can use for outdoor activities for children and families in the community like summer camp,” the DYS director said.
Sen. Edith Deleon Guerrero, center, poses for a photo with Division of Youth Services Administrator Vivian Sablan, third right, and DYS staff during the turnover of trikes and scooters for children at the Tanapag Youth Center on Thursday.
