when the first Earth Day festival was held in Arthur’s Town to highlight environmental threats, solutions and celebrate traditional crafts and traditions.

2014 First student exchange with Bell Multi-cultural High School where students tackled invasive species on Cat Island.

2015 Steering Committee is created to be the point organization for the Earth Day festival, Youth Exchanges and beach clean ups.

2016 At a community meeting, a senior citizen suggested the name Cat Island United and students compete for the logo (see side bar).

2017 Cat Island United is legally incorporated as a Bahamian non-profit corporation with the founding members comprising its first Board of Directors. The first Young Entrepreneur workshop is a great success and leads to the annual Shark Tank competitions.

2018 CIU receives its first grant from The Global Environment Fund (GEF) to build its organizational capacity and set up aluminum can with partner Cans 4 Kids in Nassau.

2019 CIU goes strong with recycling picking up, the first Shark Tank competition for youth to pitch their business proposals before a panel of judges; environmental science at Bahamas Plastic Movement Summer Camp on Cat Island and BNT’s Summer Safari in Nassau; the Student Cultural Exchange with Bell High School in the Fall and our first reception for members at Fernandez Bay Beach Club in the Winter.

2020 to 2022 With Covid restrictions, CIU goes virtual with zoom Board meetings across settlements and countries. Directors help residents build kitchen gardens. Donations from the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation and Lyford Cay Charitable Trust are used to purchase urgent medical equipment. And CIU helps the schools with IT in going virtual

2021 Friends of Cat Island United is incorporated as a US non-profit for the sole purpose of supporting Cat Island United and deemed a 501(c)3 under the IRS revenue code.