Focused Dreams Forward Foundation; Siblings with a passion for serving others

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It was a beautiful Friday afternoon, and the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper had been invited to the Focused Dreams Forward Foundation golfing charity event. Yes that is right. Your favourite journalist Simone Jennifer Smith was golfing. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was there for a good cause.

I first learned about the event through one of the sponsors from The Wine Shop. Ms Anandie Aiello. She had first heard about the event from one of the founders Mr John Wiggins, and she invited me to be a part of it. I didn’t know what to expect, but what I experienced was friendship, fellowship, and fun.

John and Tracy Wiggins, siblings whose passion is serving others, founded the Focused Dreams Forward Foundation. The charity was formed to contribute towards the enrichment of academic and athletic opportunities for youth in the Caribbean. Their goal is to positively impact over 20,000 youth in the Caribbean.

As a team they have worked to create and implement programs designed to build self-esteem and leadership skills for at-risk students, while also providing remedial education in key focus areas including literacy, mathematics, and technology application. They want to empower youth to utilize athletics and education to advance their lives. Their hope is that this will support the initiative of relieving poverty and build thriving, functional communities.

The event was well supported by other organizations that see, and understand the vision. Some of their sponsors included:

• Rogers Authorized Dealer/Uptown Communication House
• Simpson Wigle Law LLP
• The Mortgage Group
• The Wine Shop
• Nickel Brook Brewing
• Lululemon
• Nike
• A Different Booklist

Players were allowed to enter into contests, and were awarded prizes for:

• Best Dressed – Man & Woman (Which I should have won)
• Longest Drive – Man & Woman
• Closest to the Pin – Man & Woman
• Most Honest Team
• Best Team

Although we ended up getting rained out, it did not stop the fun. Players gathered under an umbrella, enjoying food, drinks and great company.

I had an opportunity to catch up with John Wiggins, and he was able to share with me his vision for Focused Dreams Forward Foundation.

 “January 2019, the foundation was officially recognized as a charity,” John began. “Everyone has a purpose, and my sister Tracy and I have always felt that we wanted to give back to the youth in the Caribbean.

 I saw what Masai Ujiri was doing with the youth in Africa, so I thought, why couldn’t I do this for the youth in the Caribbean. I went to the islands to see how I could help. I can’t write cheques, but I can use my platform to bring awareness.”

John began sending shoes, and equipment to the islands, but that just was not enough for him. Something kept pushing him to do more. He shares with me that the journey was not an easy one, and COVID-19 definitely did not make it easier,

 “Administratively it was complicated. Setting up a charity is no joke. We experienced a lot of scrutiny, and there is a lot of paperwork. The process was frustrating. It took two years to finally be recognized as an approved charity. Another aspect of this work that I had to learn the hard way is that operating something here in Canada, and doing work in the Caribbean, means you have to deal with a lot of red tape. You have to deal with the politics, and that can be overwhelming at times as well. 

COVID-19 put a wrench in our plans. We got our status and then everything shut down. WE were unable to execute. The whole purpose of the foundation was to bring people together so that we as a community could do more for our communities in the Caribbean.”

Finally, despite the numerous pandemic restrictions, they were able to pull off their second charity golf event.

“Our first event was September 29^th, 2020. We locked in June 25^th, 2021 last year. We held on to the date, not knowing if we would be able to do it. Thankfully, the restrictions dropped, so it all worked out.”

 I also had the opportunity to speak with Ms Anandie Aiello, Regional Retail Manager at Andrew Peller Limited (The Wine Shop). She shared with me why she thought it was important that they get involved.

“Naturally, seeing someone who is part of my Alumni (Windsor University), doing such great work, I had to be a part of it,” she shared openly. “I am proud of John and Tracy for pushing through and getting all of these people together for a good cause. It gave me the opportunity to meet some amazing people, and what a beautiful day out of the office. I see great things for the Focused Dreams Forward Foundation team, and they will always have my support.”

John took some time to share with me some of the work that will come from these different charity events. He has personally been travelling to Barbados and St. Lucia for the last five years with the NBA to help facilitate Return to Play. This program brings the NBA to the Caribbean, and John has seen what this does for the youth on the islands.

“It is important that we not only establish, but we sustain programs. I wanted to make sure that we were able to carry on the momentum after the NBA left.”

So what is next for Focused Dreams Forward Foundation?

“I am bringing back the dinner/dance party,” John tells me laughing. “These are the types of events we grew up on, so I am bringing it back. There will be more to come on that. It is a tradition that has gone away. I am hoping to throw the first one in the fall.”

We have to recognize that there is potential in the people in the islands. We need to invest in our people. Our youth in the Caribbean are smart, talented, and athletic. We have to invest in that.