Supporting Anguilla’s Special Needs Children
When I was first invited to the 4th annual Anguilla Literary Festival I was excited to meet some local talent and some big names in publishing as well, like O Magazine’s books editor, Writers Digest’s editor, and best-selling authors like “Zane”, to name a few. And the festival was awesome in every way – intimate, exciting and informative, and in such an idyllic location.
But I’d not expected to stumble upon a story so touching and with such an important purpose while there. Nor did I expect to meet extraordinary actress Annie Potts and her award-winning husband Jim Hayman as part of it. They were so amazingly sweet, and their connection to Anguilla runs very deep. Having holidayed there for 15 years, they are truly now what islanders call “belongers” – an affectionate word for ex-pats and frequent visitors who really care about the community.
Annie loves to swim at Meads Bay, and one day a boy with special needs named Kemarley wanted to borrow her blue swimming goggles. That was the beginning of what would become a beautiful friendship, and one that would inspire Annie to write a book about him.