Most stories at Sandals Resorts are about couples falling deeper in love in paradise. But the story of Norville and Kerry Esty is about two team members connecting with each other as they experience the run of their lives.
The husband-and-wife duo share a passion for sports, and when Sandals became a sponsor of the annual MoBay City Run, a charity road race to financially support tertiary students in western Jamaica, the Estys dashed at the opportunity to get involved.
This year marked the couple’s third time participating in the MoBay City Run under the Sandals banner. Norville, the watersports supply chain manager at Sandals Resorts’ Procurement Division, says their shared love of sports makes them do virtually everything together — even netball, where he serves as the coach for the company’s team.
“When the netball team started here at Sandals, Kerry was a member of it. So, it has always been that, whether planning or participating, we have always been there together. Most of the sports that I play, she plays or eventually ends up playing,” Norville said, glancing over at Kerry, now his wife of seven years.
Their love for sports and each other is well known among their colleagues, and it has even helped them forge strong bonds with co-workers.
Kerry, the administrative assistant for Sandals Resorts International’s Food & Beverage Department, says participating in company-sponsored charity runs and team member-centred activities has been a big part of her personal and professional development.
“Aside from the MoBay City Run, we’ve done the Guardian Group ‘Keep it Alive’ Night Run twice, the CUMI Come Run about three times, and the Cornwall College Old Boys Association Run. The company sponsored all of these events, and they received big support from our team,” Kerry said, reaching for her phone to show photos of her and Norville posing with Sandals’ Executive Chairman, Adam Stewart, at a previous charity run.
“Sharing these moments really helps with enhancing work relationships, how you carry yourself, and how you live. It gives you a wholesome way of life. It’s not just about running aimlessly but how you do what you do and the effect and influence you have in helping to impact someone’s life for the better,” added Kerry, who last year received the company’s Diamond Award, an honour given to the Team Member of the Year.
For the past decade, Kerry has considered Montego Bay her home. She says she feels great pride in being part of a movement that has impacted hundreds of lives in the community where she lives and works.
For Norville, participating in charity runs is about more than just a love of sports. It’s also about team-building and encouragement.
“Sports is one of the greatest teachers because you learn how to be a great teammate, it teaches patience, it teaches endurance, and it teaches you how to problem-solve. I think when Sandals does this for people who’ve invested a lot in their work, it shows a level of interest that most other companies don’t have. It shows you’re interested in going beyond just giving me a pay cheque. It shows that the company sees the value in community development and providing an avenue for its employees to release, relax, and enjoy themselves,” he said.
Through their shared love of sports and participation in charity runs, Norville and Kerry have found a way to connect with each other and their colleagues while also making a positive impact in their community. This is a story that goes beyond just the two of them and shows the power of sports to bring people together for a greater cause.
