ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — In a moving homecoming filled with gratitude, reflection and hope, Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation donated $100,000 to Friendship Primary School to support a school feeding programme during the school’s graduation ceremony, reaffirming its commitment to investing in children through education, psychosocial support and community transformation.

Presenting the donation, Denise Johnston, founder of Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation, described the occasion as deeply nostalgic, recalling that 42 years ago, she sat in the very same graduation ceremony as a member of the Class of 1984, proudly receiving several prizes and awards as one of the school’s most outstanding graduates.

“Returning to Friendship Primary School is more than coming home; it is returning to the place where hope first took root in my life,” Johnston said. “This school laid the foundation for my life and taught me that education is the poor man’s inheritance because it has the power to change generations.”

Johnston reflected on the school’s enduring significance to her family, noting that six of her seven siblings also attended and graduated from Friendship All-Age/Primary School.

She paid tribute to her late mother, whose relationship with the school extended far beyond that of a parent.

“My mother served as the domestic engineer to two former principals, Mrs Norma Gloria Edwards and Mrs Enid Harris. She also worked as a vendor at the school gate and was an active member of the Parent-Teachers’ Association. Whenever the school hosted a major celebration or event, she was one of the first people they called upon to prepare the meals. Serving Friendship Primary School was not simply something she did; it was part of who she was,” she shared.

For the Johnston family, Friendship Primary School was more than a school—it was a place of learning, nourishment, belonging, and hope during some of life’s most difficult seasons.

Johnston became emotional as she acknowledged the role the school played in helping her family survive during difficult economic times.

“Friendship kept our family fed. We experienced food insecurity, particularly during the tumultuous years leading up to the 1980 general election, and without the meals we received at school, my siblings and I would sometimes have gone hungry. That experience has never left me. It is one of the reasons this feeding programme is so deeply personal to our foundation. Hungry children cannot learn, and Friendship Primary ensured that many children, including us, had the opportunity to learn because our most basic need—food—was met.”

Drawing on the graduation theme, “Stronger Together”, and the guest speaker’s presentation, “What’s in Your Tomorrow”, Johnston reflected on how quickly life can change.

She told graduates that while she once left Friendship Primary filled with excitement about the bright future awaiting her at The Queen’s School, tragedy soon interrupted her family’s dreams.

In the Fairfield Road community, where Friendship Primary School is located, her mother was shot during a home invasion, forcing the family to flee for safety.

Just eight months later, the family suffered another devastating loss when her older sister, Constable Pamella Johnston, also a past student of Friendship Primary School, became the first policewoman in Jamaica to be killed in the line of duty after gunmen hijacked the bus she was travelling in while on her way to work. She was abducted, sexually assaulted and fatally shot. That unimaginable loss forever changed the Johnston family.

Yet from that tragedy emerged a vision dedicated to ensuring that no life is defined solely by loss but by hope, healing and purpose. Johnston explained that Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation was established to honour Pamella’s life and legacy by transforming pain into purpose and ensuring that hope triumphs over tragedy.

“At Pamella’s Sunrise, our mission is ‘changing lives and stories from pain to purpose’. Today, we are honoured to live out that mission by giving back to the school and community that helped shape us.”

She continued, “This community holds a deeply personal part of my story. Today, however, we return not defined by that pain, but by God’s faithfulness and a commitment to transform pain into purpose. This donation is a symbol of hope and our belief in the children of this community.”

Addressing the graduating class, Johnston challenged them to remain connected to their roots.

“Dream big, work hard, live with integrity, and never forget where you started. When you have found success in your careers and in life, come back and invest in Friendship Primary School. Your time, your talents and your generosity can inspire the next generation to dream even bigger.”

She also encouraged members of the wider Fairfield Road, Spanish Town community and its adjoining communities to continue nurturing and protecting their children.

“Continue to believe in your children. Encourage them, protect them and help them become the leaders our nation needs. Together, we can create a future where hope is stronger than hardship.”

Johnston said the foundation deliberately chose to support a feeding programme because it recognises the critical link between nutrition, emotional well-being and educational success.

“We felt it was necessary to establish this feeding programme as part of the school’s psychosocial efforts to help produce children who will become productive adults. Children who experience trauma are already at a disadvantage, particularly when they lose a parent or another breadwinner. But if we can provide hope, stability and nourishment, we can help create a brighter future—not only for these children but for our society.

“There is no better investment than feeding a hungry child. A full stomach gives a child the dignity to concentrate, the strength to learn and the hope to dream.”

The presentation concluded with Johnston expressing gratitude for the opportunity to return to the institution that helped shape both her family and her future.

“Today is a very special moment for Pamella’s Sunrise as we proudly donate JMD 100,000 to Friendship Primary School—the foundation school that both Pamella and I attended.”

Principal Rayon Howell accepted the cheque on behalf of Friendship Primary School and expressed appreciation to Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation for its generous contribution and commitment to supporting the school’s students through its feeding programme. The contribution will support the school’s efforts to ensure that vulnerable students have consistent access to nutritious meals, creating an environment where they are better able to learn, thrive and reach their full potential.

This donation marks the beginning of what the foundation hopes will become a lasting partnership with Friendship Primary School—one that nourishes children, strengthens families and invests in future generations. It reflects Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation’s unwavering commitment to empowering communities, investing in education and ensuring that even the most painful chapters of life can become stories of hope, resilience and transformation.

Denise Johnston, founder of Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation addresses the graduates of Friendship Primary School during their leaving ceremony.

Denise Johnston, founder of Pamella’s Sunrise Foundation.