Organisation assisting local basic schools gets Can$20,000
Women for PACE (Canada), which has adopted more than 180 basic schools in Jamaica, is the beneficiary of a Can$20,000 donation from Air Canada and WestJet airlines.
The organisation is one of 175 charities, which received a total of Can$10 million “for the benefit of children and youth”.
The donation was made possible by Air Canada’s In-charge Flight Attendant, Jamaican-born Pat South, who nominated the group to receive the funds. The airlines had asked their employees to nominate charities, which they have been involved with and which benefit children and youth, to receive the funds.
South presented the cheque recently to president of the project for the Advancement of Childhood Education (PACE), Lorna King, at the offices of the Jamaican consulate general in Toronto, Canada. In attendance was Jamaica’s consul general, Anne-Marie Bonner and other PACE members.
King expressed joy at receiving the donation, and outlined that the funds would go to needy children.
“Through our programmes, these funds will benefit over 1,000 needy children by providing access to today’s essential educational supplies and materials, such as books and computers, and will enable them to better compete in this global digital economy,” she said.
The president also thanked South for nominating the organisation, and Air Canada and WestJet for “their support and generous donation”.
Women for PACE (Canada), founded 19 years ago by Jamaican-born educator Dr Mavis Burke, supports early childhood education by assisting basic schools, funding scholarships and bursaries for ECE students, and providing teacher exchange programmes.
South noted that as a long-time supporter of Women for PACE, she was extremely happy to assist.
“I know these funds will benefit very needy children in the important area of early childhood education,” she said.– JIS
Other charities that benefited from the Air Canada/WestJet initiative include the Children’s Miracle Network, the Boys and Girls Club of Canada, the Breakfast Clubs of Canada, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and Autism Society of Canada.
