US Charity donate to St Mary School

PORT MARIA, St Mary:

Children and staff at a basic school in St Mary celebrated earlier today after an American charity donated a brand new bathroom, refrigerator, and perimeter fence to help upgrade the popular learning facility.

According to Principal Valerie Anderson of the Faith Builder's Early Childhood Centre in Tower Isle, the contribution made by the Jamaica Awareness Association of California (JAAC) is an overwhelming gesture that will greatly enhance the quality of her students' learning space.

She told The Gleaner: "The new bathroom will create a completely different environment and make a world of difference. We have a lot of girls here, and now they will be more comfortable having their own bathroom, and so will the boys and teachers.

"The fence is of utmost importance because it's strong and of a good height, so the children will be well-protected. We've been waiting for a new fridge and bathroom for almost five years, so this is like a miracle and a dream come true."

our mission

Speaking after a ribbon-cutting ceremony and performances by the students, vice president and chairman of the JAAC's education committee, Andrew Facey, said: "Last year, we made an assessment of around 25 basic schools and decided to adopt this one after our mission in June 2015.

"Today, we are presenting them with various things, including a children's bathroom, an 18 cubic feet refrigerator, and a perimeter fence because the area behind the school was wide open."

Facey added: "The JAAC is about 30 years old, and we have been doing educational, medical, and dental missions for the past 14 years. We're very proud of our decision to work with Faith Builders, and have developed a good relationship with the principal, and all the teachers and parents. It's the parents who did most of the labour that was done here, which is a very good, cost-saving advantage."