17 high schools to benefit from US furniture drive

NEW YORK:

Sixteen western high schools and one in Portland are set to benefit from a donation drive in the United States, which has sourced some 8,000 pieces of classroom furniture.

The furniture drive is being led by the Cornwall College Old Boys’ Association (CCOBA) chapters in the United States and will benefit Cornwall College, Montego Bay High, Manning’s School, Mount Alvernia High, Hampton School, Mount Pleasant High, Anchovy High, and some institutions in Trelawny and Portland.

Neville Bell, special projects coordinator for the CCOBA Mid-Atlantic Chapter, told The Gleaner that the furniture has been sourced from a South Florida school district. Among the items are desks and chairs for students as well as teachers’ desks and chairs, and lab stools, among other furniture.

Bell said the shipment is expected to arrive in December.

To have things fast-tracked amid an expected Christmas rush at the ports, Bell said he has been in discussions with Jamaican Customs to have two officers fly to Miami to oversee the stocking of the containers and affix their official government seal.

“We are prepared to pay for their accommodation and airline tickets to have them come up to oversee the process,” he said.

He revealed that it requires US$160,000 to ship the containers but said the association has launched a GoFundMe drive and is in discussions with the Ministry of Finance and a few non-profit organisations to have the cost lowered or covered.

Bell said that the CCOBA is also seeking the help of members of the diaspora in helping to underwrite the costs of sending the containers to Jamaica.

“So far, we have been able to bring the cost down to US$140,000, but we would still like to have it lower,” he told The Gleaner.

PRIORITY

He said that one school has been prioritised as it has agreed to pay the US$8,000 cost to clear the container assigned to the institution.

He said they are also working with the National Education Trust on this project, which selected the schools to get the furniture, but noted that those most in need would be prioritised.

Bell said that the organisers are also looking for volunteers to help with packing the containers as soon as they get the date to collect the furniture in Florida.

He has also kick-started the process to secure furniture to outfit some primary and basic schools in Jamaica.

“There are some 30 schools in the school district in Florida, and they will be changing out their furniture, so we have asked to be notified so we can get some of the furniture for primary and basic schools,” he said.

He said the donation is made under the CCOBA’s ‘Share the Wealth’ initiative, which began during the pandemic and has assisted several schools with equipment ranging from laptops to Wi-Fi.

“Since 2020, we have assisted some 84 schools across the island under the Share the Wealth programme,” he said.

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