From left: Keisha Brathwaite, Insurance Analyst at Sun General Insurance; Michelle Whitelaw, Director of Retail Banking Channels at CIBC First Caribbean; Paula Manning, member of Progressive Optimist Club (POC); President of POC, Janelle Ottley; Amanda Lynch-Foster, Marketing Manager at Scotiabank; and Cameron Sobers, Past President of POC and current Projects Chair; during the launch of the 2016 ‘Back-to-School Uniform & Supplies Drive’ yesterday.
The Progressive Optimist Club (POC) is ensuring that every child in Barbados has the opportunity to attend school.
To do so, the member club of Optimist International has embarked on its third “Back-to-School Uniform & Supplies Drive”.
This appeal allows the club to assist families with the basic items needed to be able to send to school comfortable and healthy children ready to learn.
With no significant change in the economy, President Janelle Ottley anticipates that the demand for assistance this year will be just as high as previous years.
She shared this during the media and sponsor launch held at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre (LESC), yesterday.
“As a community we know that each and every one of us can do our part to ensure that a child is properly clothed and supplied with necessities to assist in attending school. Education is one of the most important things that any individual can have… I don’t think there should be any reason that a child isn’t able to attend school in Barbados. Education in Barbados is free up to secondary school and that is what we are aiming to achieve,” she expressed.
Under this programme, POC has reached out to individuals, fellow clubs and corporate Barbados to provide support and resources.
The President acknowledged that the response has been overwhelming from sponsors which include – Scotiabank, CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Everson R. Elcock Group, Sun General Insurance, Chefette, Abed’s and Cave Shepherd – who have either been placing bins at their businesses to collect supplies or by sponsoring a child.
Thus far POC has received donations of used and new school uniforms, socks, shoes, school bags, pens, pencils, erasers, text books, reference books, art books, exercise books, school uniform materials, belts, ties, paper, crayons as well as rain coats.
Ottley is however calling on all of Barbados to come out and help POC in its continued effort to help families and youth who are in need on August 20, where a collection will take place at the LESC from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Following that on August 27, and September 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. also at the LESC carpark, the items collected will be distributed to the families.
Over the last two years, this drive has successfully provided support for over 1 200 school children from close to 500 families. (TL)
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