Christmas tablets for Rock River - Community foundation cancels grand market fête, gifts students and seniors instead

CLARENDON:

For the past three years the Rock River Foundation has pumped new life into its namesake community, reviving a tradition that was thought to be dead.

Alicia Jackson Nembhard, senior teacher at Rock River Primary, in reliving the time when the Clarendon community was “lifeless”, at a tablet giveaway by the foundation on Monday, praised the organisation for the resuscitation.

“When I was growing up, Rock River used to be the place to be for grand market and all of that,” she reminisced, pointing out that soon she only had memories of Christmastime, because the community stopped hosted those activities.

“Then one day persons no longer had Rock River for grand market activities, parents sent their children to Chapelton or May Pen and I was always saying why can’t we have it here again (Rock River) for Christmas,” she shared.

Nembhard said her prayers were answered when three years ago, directors from the foundation decided that they would bring the community back to its glory days.

Alphanso McLeod, one of Rock River Foundation’s directors, shared with The Sunday Gleaner that the directors and group members felt it was very important to revive the tradition of long ago.

“A lot of children and their families were going to May Pen, spending resources that could have stayed in the community. Also, it was safer for them to be closer to their homes than to be worrying about transport to get back home,” he said, noting that that was part of the motivation for reviving the festive event.

McLeod said it also gave them a chance to treat the children and have everyone interacting with each other in the community.

MIXED BLESSING

December 24, 2020 would have been the fourth staging of the grand market fête since its revival, and McLeod said it was shaping up to be a “biggie”, as members were making plans as soon as last year’s Christmas event had ended.

“We were planning on coming big this year!” he said, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to alter their plans and take a different direction.

“This year, because of COVID-19, we not gonna give the children any toys or anything, and that is something that we really regret,” he said.

Still, McLeod sees it all as a mixed blessing, as with the focus turning from the grand market fête, they have shifted their attention and budget towards sourcing 30 tablets, at a cost of more than $800,000, for the two schools in the community – Rock River Primary and Basic – to aid students in their virtual learning.

“Those tablets will aid in the learning process, and while it does not make up for the fun they will be missing out on, they can at least have their learning enhanced,” he said.

“We feel very bad because we are unable to give the children any fun this year, but next year we gonna make it up and give them double.”

The foundation will also be treating the senior citizens for Christmas, providing them with care packages and a cooked meal. They will also be delivering care packages to the shut-ins and other vulnerable persons in Rock River.

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