RECOGNISING the urgency of the need of the most underserved in the education sector, the Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation has once again risen to the occasion by providing back-to-school donations totalling $1 million to vulnerable schools.

The first handover was held in the Corporate Area on Tuesday to early childhood and primary schools with the foundation donating care packages to Christians Early Childhood Academy, Callaloo Mews Basic School, Riverton Meadows Early Childhood, and Early Achievers Learning Centre, as well as book vouchers to Seaview Gardens Primary and Cockburn Gardens Primary. Together, these contributions amounted to $375,000.

“The D&G Foundation’s support has become something we’ve come to rely on, so I’m not even surprised by today’s donation of school supplies, especially after they recently provided us with a new industrial stove. That said, my appreciation is at an all-time high, as many of our students are in genuine need of assistance,” said principal of Christians Early Childhood Academy, Sherica Francis-Christian.

“While they may be eager to learn, they often don’t have the resources to apply themselves as well as they can or even show up as often as they should. So, we have already identified the students who will benefit from these packages, and we are excited to invite their parents in to share the good news,” added Francis-Christian.

The care packages for early childhood institutions include a selection of essential supplies such as crayons, letter tracing books, informative posters, and reading books.

“As a newly adopted school, I am elated about this partnership. I have seen the work of the foundation and we cannot be more grateful to have been contacted and we know their support will go a long way,” shared manager of Early Achievers Learning Centre, Beverly McKane.

Echoing the sentiments of their fellow educators, Callaloo Mews Principal Angella Black, who affectionately describes the foundation as her “fairy godparents”, and Riverton Meadows Principal Junior Rowe, both expressed gratitude. They value the foundation as a steadfast partner which consistently acknowledges their needs and remains reliably present.

“This immediate support to our children will offer some relief while we act on other tasks including renovating the nursery and rectifying termite issues which prevented accreditation by the Early Childhood Commission. Unfortunately for us, our main sponsor has severed the partnership due to financial constraints which reduced the level of support we had access to. Especially with this in mind, we treasure our relationship with the D&G Foundation which has also been on this journey with us and our community at large,” said Rowe.

Adding to the atmosphere of gratitude and thoughts of the future, acting principal of Seaview Gardens Primary Keisha Bessoa and senior secretary of Cockburn Gardens Primary Gillian McGeachy both raved about their schools’ recent PEP passes and said they are looking forward to amplifying literacy resources to achieve even more successes.

“We are incredibly proud of our long-standing partnerships with these schools, which have allowed us to give back in meaningful ways while helping them enhance their impact on students and the communities they serve.

“Except for Early Achievers Learning Centre, our newest adoptee, these relationships have spanned years and have consistently impressed us with how effectively they utilise the resources we provide. This motivates us to continually increase our support and back-to-school assistance is vital. It sets the tone for the academic year, and we hope this year’s donations will inspire students, teachers, and parents alike,” said Dennis Beckford, D&G Foundation accountant.

In line with the foundation’s commitment to positively impacting communities across the island, the team will distribute donations totalling $250,000 during visits to Clan Carthy Primary, Edward Seaga Primary, and Hall’s Delight Primary.

Following this, the team will visit BB Coke High, May Pen High, St Elizabeth Technical, and Porus High to deliver book vouchers valued at $400,000.