Sagicor Foundation and Lasco iCool fete children at Hope Zoo
Published:Monday | May 30, 2016 | 12:00 AMKeisha Hill
Sagicor Group Jamaica Foundation's Adopt-A-School Programme had a grand time at the Hope Zoo in St Andrew with the children recently.
Sagicor Foundation and LASCO iCool treated more than 300 students from across the island to a day of fun, frolic, and edutainment, at the Hope Zoo in an day dubbed, 'Reading is Cool'.
The students were chosen from Sagicor's existing list of school its under Adopt-a-School Programme as well as schools that have a close relationship with the LASCO Group.
A major part of the day's activities was the Reading Stage, where various national personalities read to the children.
Dianne Green-Forrester, teacher at the Shortwood Practising School, said the students were excited to be involved in the day's activities, and the school was thrilled to be partnering with Sagicor for the duration of the programme.
Seven year-old Saniqua Long, a student at the Shortwood Practising School ,was excited about the story-telling section. "It was fun," she quipped, while playing with her schoolmates.
Chairmaine Henry, class teacher at the Allman Town Infant School, commended Sagicor for involving the children in their Child Month activities. "It was very good for the children. The reading session focused on the children and was very interesting and interactive for them. It is good that Sagicor is thinking about the children," Henry said.
social responsibility
The Adopt-A-School programme, which has been a part of the company's corporate social responsibility portfolio dating back to the early 1980s, consists of several subsidiaries of the organisation, including Sagicor Bank, Sagicor Life and Sagicor Investments.
Nadine Newsome, public relations and corporate social responsibility manager at Sagicor Group, describes the response from the students and school administrators, including principals and teachers to the Adopt-A-School Programme as very encouraging.
"The schools have responded to all our requests and have been working with us to implement a very productive adopt-a school programme. We are very grateful for the turnout, and we are working to make sure the children are happy and enjoy themselves," Newsome said.
Participating schools this year included: Plantation Heights Basic School, Salmon Basic School, Fyffes Pen Early Childhood Institution, Kemps Hill Basic School, Sandy Park Basic School, Dunrobin Early Childhood Institution, Clarion Basic School, Campden Early Childhood Development Centre, Allman Town Infant School and Central Branch Infant School.