On the occasion of the 39th Sandy Ground festival, Saturday, August 15, the Collectivity presented a certificate of recognition to three residents of the neighborhood for their commitment to local life: Juliette Irish, Antero Santos and David Francillette.

Founder of the association Nature is the Key and member of Neighborhood Council No. 6, Juliette Irish, who was absent from the ceremony, was rewarded for her commitment to the environment and social life in the neighborhood.

Founded in 2019, her association works primarily with youth and families and participates in the joint management of the Grand Îlet natural site with the local authority. Its motto? “In the neighborhood, for the neighborhood.”

He arrived in Saint-Martin at the age of 12, Antero Santos He grew up in Sandy Ground. After volunteering during Hurricane Luis in 1995, he trained in disaster management before being elected territorial councilor in 2012 alongside Alain Richardson, becoming the first Franco-Dominican to hold this position. He then focused on supporting families and connecting with the community. After Hurricane Irma, he again mobilized to help the victims.  Today, as president of the Corazones Unidos association, he works to promote mutual aid within the Dominican community and to enhance its culture, particularly during Carnival.

Born in Guadeloupe in 1953, David Francillette He settled in Sandy Ground in 1973, a neighborhood to which he became attached and in which he became involved. Ten years later, he committed himself He entered politics alongside Albert Fleming, back when Saint-Martin was a municipality, and dedicated 24 years of his life to serving the people of Saint-Martin. In 1987, he helped create the Sandy Ground festival. But David Francillette is also being recognized for his involvement in the neighborhood's sports scene. Every Sunday, with his club, the Sandy Ground Cycling Club, he organizes cycling races. In a speech delivered in Creole, he noted that his club is the only one to have trained a young cyclist who went on to become a professional, Jahkim Carty. _DR