Norwood’s ‘little hero’ among care package recipients

Western Bureau:

The family of six-year-old Cory-Ann Palmer, who rescued her one-year-old sister from their burning house in Norwood, St James, last November, was among the recipients of care package delivered by a team from the Ministry of Education’s Region Four at various locations in Montego Bay last week.

Cory-Ann’s family got their package when the Quality Education Circle 36 (QEC 36) visited them at their home. Like the other 35 recipients, the family received packages of food and telephone credit.

The other recipients were the families of students from 17 infant schools, primary schools, and high schools across communities such as Mt Salem, Flanker, Green Pond, Glendevon and Albion.

While Cory-Ann’s obviously pleased mother, Shantel Brown, struggled to find the appropriate words to express her appreciation, her broad smile spoke volumes as to how she felt about the kind gesture by the QED 36 team.

“I feel happy and good for this little gift, especially after what happened last year November. It will surely go a good way to help us,” Brown told The Gleaner.

On November 1 last year, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the family’s home at Ban Lane in Norwood, from which only Cory-Ann and her younger sister were able to escape. Their brothers, eight-year-old Javanchi Lauderdale Palmer and one-year-old Tyler McLeod, perished in the fire.

QEC 36 convener and education officer Shamara Brissett-Gordon said that last week’s visit to Cory-Ann’s family was a follow-up on their previous visit last year immediately following the tragedy.

ONGOING OUTREACH

“We have an ongoing outreach effort as, last November, we did an outreach in the Norwood area where the child’s family was burned out. That time, we went and gave the family a bed and groceries, and we tried to put them back on their feet, and now today we’re here to visit Cory-Ann again,” said Brissett-Gordon.

“Today, for this distribution, a group of our principals and education officers are in several communities, where we are distributing care packages to our needy students, and also data for their phones so they can access online teaching and learning. They have been having issues with getting food and accessing online learning, based on what’s happening due to COVID-19,” said Brissett-Gordon.”