In a rare gesture towards the Jamaican disabled community specifically the young students of this grouping; the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Committee made a well needed back to school assistance donation… to The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation (MCADF) - to help its clients that are challenged who are this school year going back to their academic institutions.
The MCADF was allotted 10-thousand dollars to be used among its existing clients.
The donation was made at a ceremony at the Webster’s Memorial Church in Kingston Jamaica; where several other beneficiaries were also given varying amounts to assist with their back to school expenses.
The handover was done on Friday September 7-2012.
The Kingston and St. Andrew Committee partnered with the community entity Citizens Security & Justice Programme (CSJP) to carry out the event which benefitted a wide range of school age children.
Sponsors for the event were the Kingston Book Shop, the Centre for Growth & Development, the Trafalgar Council, Stacey Clarke-Callum and Roots FM.
The Committee made the following donations: a special donation to The Maia Chung Autism and Disabilities Foundation.
A scholarship was awarded to Dejorn Scarlette of the Balcombe Drive Primary & Junior High, while three special awards were given out to three fire victims… students from the Jones Town community.
Fifty book vouchers were handed out.
A total of fifty five awards were disbursed.
In receiving the donation on behalf of the MCADF board member Jason Cross said, “it is really good that the Committee made this move, to donate funds for such a good cause.
“The disabled have needs which are not being catered to on a wide scale right across the board.
“For the Committee to take the initiative to acknowledge this element of the population says a lot for the future of Jamaica and that there is more hope for the disabled being further assisted”.
Chairman of the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Committee Joseph Cox said that his committee had chosen the MCADF because of its credible history of helping the disabled, as well as the organization’s speedy and efficient and transparent channeling of funds to the disabled who are in need.
He added that in his entity’s assessment, the cases of back to school treats for this current period, that had targeted the disabled school child as beneficiaries from resources being disbursed, appeared few.
The Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Committee’s back to school resource distribution function is the Committee’s first.
According to Mr. Cox the plan is to make the event annual.
According to MCADF’s Managing Director we are extremely grateful to the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Committee, they have thought to do for our populace …what many ignore.
She added that special needs children become normal at the “back to school” period as their parents struggle to pay all the expenses for their education and finding the scarce funds to resource them correctly to resume their academic work.
