22 schools benefit from Vincy Cares donation

An Internet based group which has been in existence for just over one year has come to the assistance of less fortunate children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.{{more}}

Last weekend, the local branch of the group known as Vincy Cares met at the Girl Guide Headquarters at Level Garden and packed 25 boxes of school supplies for distribution to children throughout the country.

On Saturday, November 13, beginning at 9:00 a.m., Vincy Cares local members, assisted by Girl Guides from the # 9 Bishop’s College Company, the #11 Girls’ High School Company and the #28 St. Joseph’s Convent Kingstown Company unpacked eight cartons of school supplies, most of which were donated during a school supplies drive which was held in Brooklyn, New York, on September 4, 2010.

The supplies, which include crayons, pens, pencils, markers, notebooks, geometry sets, calculators and library books were re-packaged into 25 boxes, three of which have been donated to the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) for children who have been displaced by Hurricane Tomas. In addition to the school supplies, two boxes of shoes were handed over to NEMO.

Local coordinator of the group Dahlia Howard-Lewis told SEARCHLIGHT that the remaining 22 boxes of school supplies are being handed over to primary schools throughout the country, for the supplies to be given to the neediest children and for use by students during classtime.

Howard-Lewis expressed her appreciation to the Government through the Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit (RIDU) for granting the group duty free concessions on the importation of the supplies. She also thanked Gideon “Fessie” Yorke of Standard Shippers, Errol ‘Sardo’ Sutherland of SEA Operations Ltd, Monty Maule of St. Vincent Container Corp, Kenneth Dasilva of Mountain Top Springs Ltd., the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Girl Guides Association, Laverne Velox, and all the persons who made donations.

Howard-Lewis said the group also has another shipment of supplies here on the ground, and she hopes other persons and businesses would be motivated to assist, especially with transportation of the supplies to schools.

Vincy Cares was established in late 2009 on the social networking group Facebook by Kenley “Shortmus” John, a Vincentian resident in Washington D.C. In its short period of existence, the group, which now has approximately 700 members, has also shipped one barrel of school supplies to the Sandy Bay Government School, and earlier this year held a special relief drive to aid the people of Haiti.