New Fortress Energy gives $5m in school supplies out west

Western Bureau:

Three hundred students from 17 schools in St James were the grateful recipients of $5 million in school supplies provided by the New Fortress Energy company, which had a somewhat scaled-down back-to-school fair on the grounds of the Pier One Complex in Montego Bay last week.

At the event, which was done in collaboration with the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), the New Fortress Energy representatives presented the students with packages that included backpacks, notebooks, pens, pencils and vouchers valued at $10,000 each for purchasing uniforms and additional supplies. Close to 250 computer tablets were provided for the fifth- and sixth-form students among the recipients.

Verona Carter, vice-president of New Fortress Energy, told The Gleaner that her company worked closely with school principals and guidance counsellors to host the annual fair, which has benefited students across the island since 2018.

CRITICAL PART

“With our deep commitment to Jamaica and nation-building, we believe in supporting the communities that we operate in, and back to school is one of the ways of supporting the community. We believe that education is a critical part of lifting people out of very depressed situations and putting them on a fast track to making sure they have a successful life,” said Carter.

“We have worked with the principals and guidance counsellors from various schools across St James, including high and primary schools, to identify those high-performing students who are lacking the financial resources to continue on the path they are on. We are trying to catch them and help them move up that ladder,” added Carter.

Last week’s event was part of a three-day effort by New Fortress Energy, following similar events in St Catherine and Clarendon. In all, 1,000 students from 50 schools have benefited from the company’s outreach gesture.

In a brief address, MBCCI President Janet Silvera said that the fair would empower the students academically so that some day they will be able to give back to Montego Bay.

“We know how critical education is to western Jamaica, and we know that we cannot afford to continue to have brain drain, for you to feel so disheartened that you decide to go elsewhere to study. So we want to keep you in this city so you can give back to our city, and that is why it is so critical for us as a Chamber of Commerce to ensure that, when things like this are happening, we are a part of it,” said Silvera.