Shaping young lives through the world of sports has been a going concern for Floyd Bush for more than two decades.
Mr Bush is among the recipients of the Department of Children and Family Services’ 2005 Child Month award. The plaque recognises Mr. Bush for his role in moulding the lives of many young people, especially in the district of West Bay, through sports, according to a press release from the Ministry of Community Services, Youth, Sports and Gender Affairs.
‘We are recognising Mr Floyd for being mentor, father figure, friend, and teacher to the children of West Bay. No doubt he has impacted many lives. He is responsible for shaping the personalities and vocations of many young professionals today,’ said Director of Children and Family Services Deanna Look Loy.
‘Mr Bush has led an exemplary life in his work with young children. Many of these children are now adults who still look up to him. He expressed his love for all the children he taught and considered it a great privilege to have had the opportunity of being honoured by the Department of Children and Family Services in the year when the theme for Child Month is ‘Resilient Children’,’ she added.
In the last 24 years, Mr Floyd – or Uncle Floyd or simply ‘Coach’, as he is better known to the children at John A Cumber – has been helping out.
At first he assisted Ed Bush, who to this day is considered a beloved coach at West Bay Primary, with coaching football.
When he realised that the children needed a snack after a couple of hours of training, he began, as he puts it, ‘begging for little treats’ from places like Burger King, Domino’s and Foster’s Food Fair.
Wanting to offer more to encourage the youngsters, Mr. Floyd developed a bicycle-reward programme, giving bikes to a boy and girl at John A. Cumber who excelled in sports as well as academics.
That was in 1999. At first there were two bicycles. But in the last three years the prize has grown to six bikes: for three boys and three girls.
In 1997 Mr Floyd, along with Bernie Bush and Arnold Hanni, helped to start Future Sports Club.
Mr Floyd did all this while holding down a full-time job with Cayman Water Company and later with the Cayman Islands Government as well as being father to Pilar, now the Director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands, and son Nick.
He says he does it for the love of children.
‘It is a pleasure to work with these children. Perhaps being an only child made me always want to help out children,’ Mr Floyd said.
Mr. Bush was born to Hulbert and Perline Bush in 1939. He started his career as a seaman, serving for 21 years. After his 1980 retirement , he began working with children as a coach at John A. Cumber primary school.
In 2001 he was awarded a Certificate and Badge of Honour recognising the work he had done with children.
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