At 13, in 2017 Sara experienced the devastating Hurricane Irma, and while more fortunate than most, she was sent away to live with her family living away from her beloved St. Maarten and her parents for the first time in her young life. The hazardous effects of Hurricane Irma continued to be felt on St. Maarten long after it had passed. All the debris collected on the island ended up on the Pondfill Dump which was overloaded beyond capacity. The landfill continued to burn for most of 2018.
It was an emotionally frightening and confusing time. Upon her return to St. Maarten, she started experiencing severe asthma attacks due to the smoking Dump. It became too much to have to wear a smoke mask on the ride to school and, at times, even in the classroom. Sara decided to take matters into her own hands to raise awareness. The creation of the Breathe Better Air Campaign was her first step into taking a stance and attempt to make a change on her beloved island of St. Maarten.
The Start Of A Movement
Sara started on her own by raising awareness on Social Media and the Daily Herald but her work soon expanded into a T-Shirt Fundraising Activity which is when the help of a few volunteers was greatly appreciated.
Come rain or shine, Sara was dedicated at selling her shirts or strike up a conversation with anyone who would hear about the better ways St. Maarten could deal with our environmental issues. The start of campaign started step by step and soon, The Breathe Better Air Campaign donated $1000 to the Nature Foundation .
Often ridiculed by her peers or naysayers, Sara never gave up moving forward with her vision. For her, it wasn’t only about how a teenage girl could stop the dump from burning but how she could start changing people’s ways when it came to health, pollution and recycling. All for a better St. Maarten.
With the help and support of her Teachers at Learning Unlimited, Sara participated in the School Community Service Fair and was able to convince a number of her fellow students to join her campaign and start making a difference.