PRESS RELEASE – ST. JUDE Hospital donated over 100 backpacks and other supplies to school children in communities in the south of the island at the start of the new academic year. The main healthcare provider in the south of St. Lucia partnered with community groups and school officials to identify students most in need.
The backpacks were originally presented to St. Jude Hospital by the Toronto-based Caribbean North Charities Foundation and each contains a pencil case with pens and pencils, a file folder, geometry set, ruler and a packet of 150 file sheets.
“As an institution that benefits so greatly from the kindness of donors and volunteers, St. Jude Hospital is in a unique position to understand the importance of giving to those in need. While the hospital may be limited in its resources, we always work with donor partners, like Caribbean North Charities Foundation, to find ways to assist the communities that we serve,” said Public Relations & Liaison Officer, Shervon Alfred.
St. Jude Hospital has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Caribbean North Charities Foundation, which recently made a large number of backpacks available to the institution to distribute to children in St. Lucia.
In this regard, St. Jude Hospital partnered with the Roman Catholic community group – St. Vincent de Paul on August 29 to identify and present 50 backpacks to students from the Mon Repos community.
On August 31, the Hospital presented over 70 backpacks to children from the community of Bruceville, Vieux Fort. That donation was facilitated through a partnership with the Roving Care Givers Programme from the St. Lucia Social Development Programme, who assisted in identifying the recipients and organizing the handover.
On the first day of the new academic year, 50 backpacks were presented to students of Reunion Primary School in Choiseul. During a short handover ceremony, School Principal, AnthiaLafeuillee, expressed her gratitude to St. Jude Hospital and Caribbean North Charities Foundation for the donation and remarked that the school year had started on a positive note.
St. Jude Hospital also presented 75 backpacks to students from the Piaye Secondary School and the Piaye Combined School on Friday, September 8 and Vice-Principal, Irene Emmanuel, was equally gracious for the kind gesture.
According to Emmanuel: “We are sometimes forgotten in this little part of St. Lucia but today we can say that we are extremely elated for having received this gift.”
In keeping with the adage, ‘charity begins at home’, 95 backpacks were also presented to the children of St. Jude Hospital line staff during a short handover ceremony on August 7.
St. Jude Hospital expresses its profound gratitude to Caribbean North Charities Foundation for making this donation available to the hospital which can in turn support the needs of the communities.
St. Jude Hospital is confident that the students will put the bags to good use and that they will make a meaningful contribution to their school life.