KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Randolph Lopez School of Hope in St Andrew is receiving a major facelift today (May 23) as part of Labour Day activities being undertaken by the Victoria Mutual Group.

Principal of the institution, Sylvestina Reid, said there are leaks affecting the drama room and that Victoria Mutual is repairing that section of the school.

She said that falling ceiling in the grade-eight department will also be fixed.

Established in 1956, the Randolph Lopez School of Hope is the largest and oldest institution serving children with intellectual disabilities in Jamaica and the English-speaking Caribbean.

The school was a beneficiary of this year’s staging of the National Leadership Prayer Breakfast, of which Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) is a sponsor.

The institution received $450,000 from funds raised at the annual event held in January.

Reid said that the money will be used to undertake refurbishing of the bathrooms over the summer period.

VM employee, Carmen Byfield, said she is happy to be helping with the improvements at the school.

“There is a lot of togetherness, and everybody is very keen on giving their very best shot. The level of accuracy with the painting is amazing. We are going very fast and we are set on getting it done today,” Byfield said.

Group President and Chief Executive Officer, VMBS, Courtney Campbell, said that the entity will be hosting a financial planning and parenting seminar at the school grounds later in the day.

Topics to be covered include investing, savings and budgeting. “We will be giving tips on when and how to borrow, if they need to. So those are some of the tools we hope to equip our people with this afternoon,” Campbell said.

He noted that the Randolph Lopez School of Hope “is dedicated to caring for children with special needs. They are a part of our family, and we want to reach out to them in meaningful and tangible ways”.

Labour Day 2018 is being observed under the theme ‘Ramp it up… Fix it up’.

Activities are focused on health and education and involve the upgrading of health centres and the building of wheelchair ramps at schools to facilitate increased access to these facilities by physically challenged individuals.