BSI’s Corporate Social Responsibility encourages involvement

Best Sunshine International, Ltd. Corporate Social Responsibility members team up to serve the community. From left, Malcolm Omar, Erica Tenorio, Antoinette Kaipat, and John Brel. (Contributed Photo)

Best Sunshine International, Ltd. continues to distinguish itself as a company that embraces corporate social responsibility as a primary vehicle to encourage involvement among its employees.

For BSI employees, their involvement with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility department builds a collaborative and inspired team.

It also provides opportunities which leads to fulfillment.

From homemaker to community delegate

CSR representative Antoinette Kaipat’s story is not only about being able to provide a better life for herself and her family but an opportunity to give back to the community.

A devoted companion and loving mother, Kaipat was a stay-at-home mom manning down the house while her partner provided for the family outside the home. This was before being hired to work for BSI’s CSR team.

“Before Best Sunshine, I was a stay-at-home mom and I felt bad for my partner that he had to work extra hard just to get us through the week,” explained Kaipat. “I started working for CSR to help him out and also to help my mom since we’re staying with her.”

As she searched for a potential job, she was more than happy to accept the offer from Best Sunshine to be a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility team. 

“I have three beautiful girls, the oldest is 14, middle is 12, and the youngest is 4. My kids helped me see what life really is. When I look at them, I want a better life for them,” said Kaipat.

Kaipat started working as a CSR representative last December and has been enjoying every moment since then. Not only is she able to provide for her family financially, she is also one of the many CSR teammates responsible for maintaining the beauty of the CNMI through community outreach.

Best Sunshine’s CSR team has played a very active role in maintaining the beauty of our island through community service. As a CSR representative, Kaipat is always out on the field working alongside her colleagues repairing, restoring, repainting, and rebuilding various locations in need of improvement.

When asked what she enjoys most about working with the Best Sunshine CSR team, she explains how she was able to quickly develop a tightknit relationship with them. The Best Sunshine CSR team spends various hours throughout the week together completing one project and the next.

“I was a very shy person and I never liked to mingle, but now, I really opened up. It really surprised my family because I was never like this before,” explained Kaipat. “I feel like my team isn’t just a group of colleagues, but my brothers and sisters. Our bond is so close that we can sit and joke about silly things, but when it’s time to be serious, we get the job done.”

“It’s been a great opportunity to go out and help everybody make our island a better place,” added Kaipat. “I really enjoy giving back to the community and showing people that the Best Sunshine CSR team is here for them, not just for us or the company.”

Self-reliance and independence

Like Kaipat, Erica Tenorio is also a CSR representative at BSI and spends a lot of her time on the field doing community outreach.

Known to be outspoken, energetic, and a feisty young woman, Tenorio shares how she overcame her struggle being a single mother while at the same time being dedicated to beautifying the islands.

Before accepting her current position at Best Sunshine, she was trying to make ends meet to provide for her two sons and her mother, who she currently resides with.

“It’s very hard playing the role of mom and dad. I mean, the mom side is easy; but the dad’s side is a struggle,” said Tenorio. “Working for CSR is rewarding because it really provides the support I need to care for my kids.”

While working at her last job, Tenorio felt like something was missing and yearned for something more out of her career. She made the decision to start looking for a job that would satisfy her interest in working outdoors.  Being very full of energy, she wanted a job that didn’t restrain her to a desk all day.

“I chose Best Sunshine because the job is focused more on what I’m interested in, which is being outdoors,” explained Tenorio. “I also took the job to be able to give my kids what I never had growing up, which is not having to say no whenever they ask for something.”

Tenorio explained how her children have brought so much joy into her life and how she made it a goal to provide for them the best way she could. She has already began achieving this goal by accepting a job that not only sufficiently pays the bills, but also, allows her children to live comfortably.

“Since I love doing outdoor work, it really works out because what we do in CSR is work in the community outreach. It feels good to go into a village and make the village a better place for tourists as well as others to see,” said Tenorio.

When asked what her favorite community outreach experience has been, she replies that she really loves helping out at the Man’amko Center.

“My favorite experience was the Man’amko Prom because we were able to give them a new opportunity and experience after all they’ve been through since Typhoon Soudelor,” stated Tenorio. “Their faces were so surprised and it was a great feeling knowing we did something good.”

Like everyone in CSR, she has established a close relationship with her coworkers and finds comfort in knowing that they are all like one big family. She states, “It’s nice that we’re very family oriented not only in our homes, but also here at work. That’s one thing that’s hard to find in a job. I appreciate that we do all the work together and that’s what I appreciate about working in this department.”

Tenorio adds, “Thank you Best Sunshine and this department for giving me the opportunity to go out into the community and give back. It has been a really great experience.”

‘A better CNMI’

BSI representative Malcolm Omar explains how BSI believed in him and gave him the opportunity to help the community and his family.

One of the greatest challenges that he had to overcome was moving to the mainland himself. “It was a very big challenge for me, but I did it. I was staying in Washington all by myself for five years,” stated Omar.

Prior to his employment at BSI, Omar spent his days as an active member of the Talabwogh Stars Association, a faith-based, non-profit group in Tanapag. He was also employed at the Hyatt Regency Saipan as a night auditor.

“One of my greatest accomplishments was being the president and one of the founders of the Talabwogh Stars Association (TSA). The program is dedicated to community outreach work, especially with the youth. We emphasize on substance abuse, education, and prevention,” explained Omar. “I was employed at Hyatt as a night auditor. Working the graveyard shift was fine for me so I can have more time with TSA.”

When offered the job at CSR, Omar was more than happy to accept the offer because it was within the scope of work that he was interested in. He loves helping his people and giving back to the community and he knew that with this job, he would be doing just that.

One of the things that Omar is grateful for that BSI has offered him is the opportunity to work with an amazing team. Despite the difference in background, all of them had the same goal, which is to make the CNMI a better place.

“I love working with the people here. We’re very diverse. We all have our own special skills to bring to the table. At first I was a little leery with Best Sunshine because of the negative hearsay that was being passed around in the public, but now that I am employed here, I see firsthand what the company is actually about. They have the same vision as me, which is to promote our islands and provide a better CNMI for our people because we deserve it,” explained Omar. “We’re all homegrown in CSR and it’s great to get to know each other. Thank you Best Sunshine for allowing me to meet all these awesome people and expanding my network.”

Growth and responsibility

Also a Best Sunshine corporate social responsibility coordinator, John Brel shares how he didn’t just find a job that he loves but also a job that gives back to his community and family.

Brel is a physical, adventurous, and creative individual. His most recent job was at Aquasmith as a spearfishing/diving instructor. He enjoyed it, but after some time he realized that there was no room for growth and so he ceased his employment there. At the time, he felt that he didn’t need a job. After a while of being unemployed, he was motivated to search for a job when he found out he was going to be a father.

He finally found his niche in the Best Sunshine’s CSR Department, where at first he was part of the logistics team, then later promoted to the coordinator position.

“I wasn’t working for a while, but when I found out I was having a kid, I knew I had to change and start working to take care of my child,” stated Brel.  “When I first started here in CSR, I was in logistics, bringing in all the equipment to the sites. After working hard, helping out, and leading certain projects, the team felt that I could fill the coordinator position so they offered it to me. I was excited to take on the offer, especially because at my last job, there wasn’t any room to grow and I held the same position the entire time I was employed there. Nonetheless, I feel like my job at Aquasmith prepared me for my job here at CSR. If anything, it made me appreciate Best Sunshine more.”

Brel embraces the fact that CSR is about outreach and community work. He is glad that he is not only given the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with his coworkers, but also with the whole community.

“I really like CSR because it’s all about outreach and helping the community. There’s a big sense of accomplishment after finishing a project, especially when people in the community show how appreciative they are toward the work we’ve done. The team has grown since last October and I think the bigger it gets, the better we can help Saipan,” explained Brel. “We’ve gotten really close and have developed a special bond with each other not only in our office, but also in our outreach program.”

“I want to thank Best Sunshine for dedicating a whole department toward aiding the people of the community. I’m always happy to start a new project because I know in some way, it helps me, it helps my family and it helps the whole island. My favorite experience was when my team was working on the fencing of Oleai Elementary School and a bunch of students came out and thanked us. That is something I know I will never forget.” (PR)