Mona High and Jose Marti Technical High schools were presented yesterday with athletic gear by Juliet Campbell, manager for Sports Marketing Central for Puma in Jamaica, to assist with their preparation for the Inter-secondary School Sports Association (ISSA)/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships set to take place in March.

For years Puma has provided support to the larger traditional high schools, such as Wolmer’s Boys’ and Wolmer’s High School for Girls, Calabar High School, Jamaica College and Kingston College, which have been powerhouses at the annual high school athletics championships.

Campbell revealed that in recent years her company has also been providing support to other schools but in a quiet way. She says that her company has decided to let it be known that other schools are receiving help as well.

“Puma has a working relationship with all these traditional schools, but these other schools do need the help. They do have good athletes also and these coaches from various schools have been reaching out to me for many, many years and so for the past few years we have actually been helping.

“It’s not only this morning [Wednesda] that we at Puma are being generous, it is something that we have been doing for decades. But today [Wednesday], I made a presentation to non-traditional schools. For many years we have helped without it being known, because they do need help also.

“We are doing it a little bit different this year to make it public that we are actually helping other schools, other than the traditional schools.”

Other schools in need of assistance are on Puma’s radar and will receive help later this year, Campbell said.

“There are several other schools that we are targeting to help. When the appropriate time comes, I will reach out to those coaches and assist them.”

Noel White, head coach of Mona High School track team, spoke of the impact Puma’s generosity will have on his school’s programme.

“We appreciate this presentation from Puma very much. The kids will appreciate it and we will do well with it, because right now, in this financial time, when finances are so difficult to be had, this will go a long way for us.

“We will benefit a lot from it because some of the kids, right now, they do not have the footwear to do the proper work on the track.

Gary Mendez, vice-president of the past students association in charge of sports at Jose Marti Technical High School, says the gear received will motivate the students at his school.

“It goes a far way in assisting us in outfitting our student athletes. This is one of the ways that we can motivate our students to come out. Not because there is not the grand amount of resources here, at least we have something that we can offer.”

The presentation to the two schools was made at the offices of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association.