POINT, Hanover — Young girls often receive monetary gifts during their bat mitzvah, but 12-year-old Kaila Tiner from New Jersey chose to give instead. She donated US$1,500 — most of it raised through GoFundMe — to Women With Scars, an organisation in western Jamaica that helps women at their most vulnerable.

Women With Scars provides support to those who are hospitalised without basic support systems. It has been operating from funding mostly provided by its founders and volunteers since its inception in 2023.

Kaila chose to start her religious journey of self-discovery by handing over the funds she raised for the charity.

“I am so happy. I am so grateful that I am in Jamaica and helping these people who deserve it more than anybody. All the hard work is amazing, and I am so happy about helping people who deserve it,” she said.

She wants to continue her charity work by opening a rescue shelter for animals. For her 12th birthday, her focus was on Women With Scars.

Kaila’s father Drew Tiner said the family sought out a charity for his daughter to raise money and give back to the world in a way that will make a real difference. He noted that in New Jersey, there was not much fanfare for bat mitzvahs. As a result, Kaila’s stepmother Shira, who has visited Jamaica 20 times, came up with the idea of making one more visit to find a worthy organisation in need of help.

A connection was made through Grand Palladium Jamaica Hotel’s Social Responsibility Manager Mitzie Smart, who is organiser of the hotel’s Sandy Footprints that provides an opportunity for guests with big hearts to connect with the community through good deeds. Smart facilitated the Tiners’ connection with Women With Scars.

Shira said the money Kaila donated came from a two-month-old GoFundMe account. She hopes it will grow with support from Jamaicans and foreigners.

“Kaila wrote a little letter to why she chose the organisation and we sent it out via social media to friends and family. We told them about the organisation and how we were going to raise some money to donate. I think all together we had about 24 people making a donation, and we raised little under the US$1,500, but we bumped it up to US$1,500,” stated Shira.

She said the family was happy to know that they could give a helping hand and hopefully would do something similar in the future.

Women With Scars was founded and later registered in November of 2023 by educator at Hopewell High School Sharee Cridland and payroll analyst Janelle Stone.

The women met while they were patients at Cornwall Regional Hospital in St James.

“Through our experience there and what we observed, we realised that there was a need for giving assistance to women at the hospital while they are staying there. We observed that a lot of ladies did not have any support. There was no one visiting them to give them supplies, and so we wanted to be that lifeline for them by being someone that can assist while they are there,” stated Cridland.

She was in the hospital for one month, while Stone was hospitalised for three months. Even after Cridland was discharged, she ensured that she visited Stone with food supplies.

“She came with meals, and I really appreciated that. I think it was on her second visit that I asked her if she would like to start this foundation with me, and without doubt, she said yes,” explained Stone.

She said the goal is to expand its helping hand to other hospitals and outside of the parish.

The foundation, which is currently made up of 18 volunteers both locally and overseas, including a psychologist, also provides after-discharge care to many patients.

The grateful founders said the funds received from Kaila will help them replenish their inventory of toiletries, sanitary products, and clothing. Another immediate goal is to purchase wall fans for the wards in the hospital and to create a website so more people can become aware of the foundation and, hopefully, help.