The year ended on a high at the Mount Airy All Age School in Westmoreland as the Sandals Foundation not only treated more than 500 students to toys and refreshments, but also handed over well-needed baking supplies to the 4H Club and facilitated a hygiene and pastry workshop.

The school, which is one of 26 across the Caribbean adopted by the philanthropic organisation, has a vibrant 4H Club. However it has faced constant struggles resulting from a lack of equipment. In 2012, Sandals Foundation gifted a gas stove to the school as club members were using a coal stove to prepare jams, puddings, cakes and other treats.

The school later highlighted the need for additional baking apparatus, as the only tools available to the students were loaned from the club leader’s (teacher Maxine Russell) home on a weekly basis.

To remedy this situation, Sandals Foundation stepped in and donated in excess of $50,000 worth of baking supplies to the institution.

“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation and the support that the Sandals Foundation always offers to our school,” stated an ecstatic Maxine Russell.

“It will certainly make life much easier and help us to ensure that the children receive hands on training in several capacities. We will also use the baked goods produced from the club to raise funds to develop our other core areas such as farming, sewing and workshop participation,” she added.

Following on the heels of the donation, the students also had the opportunity to participate in a hygiene, safety and pastry session led by Sandals Resorts Management Trainees Maxine Pierre and Julianna Musgrove. At the start of the three-hour activity, each child received a Sandals Foundation Honorary Little Baker badge and was taught a hand-washing song. They were later given detailed information on hygiene and safety and engaged in related activities. The students were also divided into groups where they identified baking ingredients using interactive wall charts and were guided in baking candy cane chocolate chip cookies.

“The kids were very enthusiastic about the hygiene and pastry workshop and we hope that they will be able to apply what they have learnt throughout their lives and share the information with their family members as well. The Sandals Foundation is happy to have been a part of the process of nurturing these life skills that they can use when they go off to high school, college or even venture into entrepreneurship,” said Pierre.

Russell added that the activity was timely as the students do not always get an opportunity to revisit the fundamentals of hygiene and safety. Each participant left the session with a gift bag of cookies and candy canes. Plans are now being made for aprons to be donated to the school.

Each year, the Sandals Foundation supports thousands of students in educational facilities throughout the Caribbean community, ensuring as many children, youth and adults as possible have the educational opportunities they need to reach their full potential.

IMAGES:

Sandals Resorts Management Trainees Maxine Pierre (sixth left) and Julianna

Musgrove (seventh left), who led a Sandals Foundation hygiene, safety and pastry workshop at the Mount Airy All-Age School recently, paused for a photo with teachers and 4H Club members who showed off their gifts of baker badges and bags of cookies.

Sandals Resorts Management Trainee Maxine Pierre takes Mount Airy All-Age students through pre-preparation exercises in the small kitchen at the school, during a pastry workshop.

Kendra Johnson, Regional PR Manager, Sandals Resorts (right) and Trevesa DaSilva Ashman, Regional PR Coordinator, Sandals Resorts (back row, left) hand over some of the baking supplies donated by the Sandals Foundation to Mount Airy All-Age School 4H members, club leader Maxine Russell ( left), and school principal Karen McKenzie (second right). Also sharing in the moment is Sandals Negril Loss Prevention and Security Manager Oliver Reid (back row).

SOURCE: Jamaica Observer