Excitement filled the air at the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Kingston and the Yadel Girl’s Home in Clarendon as the Eustace Lee Ltd trucks rolled into the two facilities with bicycles for the young residents recently.

One girl at Yadel, overjoyed by the gift, declared, “I’m not taking the plastic off yet.”

A group of boys at Maxfield Park eagerly mounted their bicycles and rode happily around the facility.

Renee Menzies McCallum, chair of the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), was full of praise for Eustace Lee, a major distributor of hardware, haberdashery, tools and plumbing supplies in downtown Kingston, which donated the bicycles to each home complete with spare tyres and pumps.

The WLI and Kirk Lee, managing director of Eustace Lee, collaborated on the selection of beneficiaries of the bicycles, which were delivered in time for Christmas.

“Having worked closely with several children’s homes, we are well aware of their needs for recreational aids, particularly now that COVID-19 has kept them home-bound,” said Menzies McCallum.

“ So we were very elated to partner with Eustace Lee on this very generous effort which brought so much joy to these children,” added Menzies McCallum.

The WLI, a special committee of the United Way of Jamaica, earlier this year partnered with four local companies to provide recreational aids and other materials to the Child and Family Protection Services Agency for the benefit of several children’s homes.

That donation of board games, balls, face masks, hand sanitisers, snacks, printing paper and ink was supported by Ammars, Megamart, PA Benjamin, and Confectionary and Snacks.