Laurie, who opened Today's Flowers floral shop in Cruz Bay 17 years ago, is a member of St. John?s 3 Sail church, and is helping organize this fundraising treasure hunt.

OSJ: What?s this Treasure Hunt raising money for?

LV: It is for the children of Ile a Vache, Haiti. The island has nothing. They?ve got nothing to sustain themselves. The Tortola rotary took boat engines to the fishermen there last Christmas. Collapsible cisterns have been donated. Now we want to focus on how to educate the kids so they can help the community revive itself. Agriculture is a big point. They want to learn to support themselves.

OSJ: What is the church?s interest?

LV: Musician Michael Beans is a member of our church, and we wanted to be part of his wider-reaching fundraising efforts. He?s doing a multi-island concert tour. We?d like to support the island with a long-term goal in mind, and by summer we?d like to have direct boats going there, maybe even involving St. John?s youth.

OSJ: Why a treasure hunt?

LV: We decided everybody is sick of raffles. I?ve been here for almost 18 years and I?ve seen every fundraiser ever done. We decided a treasure hunt would be really fun.

OSJ: So what?s the bootie?

LV: The treasure chest alone is going to be awesome. And it will be filled with treasure. There is $1,000 cash, lots of jewelry from local stores. We?ve had a really good response from the community in donating treasure. It is a winner take all event. Find the treasure chest, and it is all yours.

OSJ: How does the treasure hunt work?

LV: It starts at 10 a.m. at High Tide. Everybody that is a hunter will get the same first clue, which will lead to more clues. Team work might be good. The more people you have working on it, the better off you will be. We will also provide a list of things you need to be a hunter. For example, a swimming suit. Swimming might be involved.

OSJ: Can I cheat?

LV: You?ll be disqualified. Tampering with, taking or changing a clue before the next hunter finds it automatically disqualifies you.

OSJ: And the treasure hunt is followed by a concert.

LV: Yes, Michael Beans? Happy Arr! Show. There will also be other contests.

OSJ: Does ?first annual? mean there will be more?

LV: We hope to make it an annual event. Maybe even a destination event so visitors can plan their vacation around being in the hunt.