Orange Bay Company, a speciality consignment boutique on Victoria Street in Hamilton, yesterday donated $5,010 to Bermuda Pacers Track Club to assist in sending four athletes to overseas competition this summer.

The Pacers, who celebrate 35 years this year, travel every year to the Russell E. Blunt East Coast Invitational Meet in Durham, North Carolina and are aiming to take a team of 30 athletes there as well as about 25 to a meet in Canada.

“In 2016 we said this is the year of the consignor, we want to focus on them and give them top priority as they are the backbone of our business,” Megan Ephraim, the company spokesman, said.

“Then we said ‘who are our consignors, the kids, so lets open a children’s department’, which we did. It’s a success and had us thinking that the amount of money we raised in 2016 and who should we give it to. The owner [Delight Morris] had a wonderful idea, ‘lets give it to the Bermuda Pacers Club because they have spent 35 years celebrating our youth and empowering our youth’.”

Cal Simons, head coach of the Pacers, and president Wayne Raynor received the cheque yesterday and expressed gratitude at the kind gesture. “We, in the Bermuda Pacers Track Club, are thrilled to know that Orange Bay is making this donation and I can guarantee that the executive members of the club are excited about the partnership that we have with Orange Bay Company,” Simons said. “We thank you for this donation.

“We’re going to identify some athletes who can travel either to the East Coast Invitational or the Flying Angels Track Classic in Canada. We are looking to take at least 30 athletes to the East Coast Meet and possibly 25 athletes to Canada.

“Hopefully by the end of the summer we will have taken at least 50 athletes from the club to these track meets abroad. This year will be our 36th appearance at the Russell E. Blunt East Coast Meet and our third appearance at the track meet in Canada.”

Orange Bay, which has been in business since September 2009, has a furniture and adult apparel department and in October last year opened a children’s department downstairs. Their donation will cover the cost of air travel, ground transportation and meals for the four qualified Pacers athletes.

The company, founded by husband and wife duo, Rudy and Delight Morris, is committed to sustainable consumption, upcycling, recycling and giving back to the community. The city-based store regularly donates unsold goods to registered charities including the Red Cross’s Upstairs Closet and The St George’s Foundation’s Second Hand Rose. Since the Company’s inception in 2009, they have also donated more than $88,000 in cash to local charities.

Delight Morris said: “We see ourselves as partners with our consignors, their success is our success. Likewise, we see our role as community partners, integral to who we are at Orange Bay Company.”