GIVING The Centre on Philanthropy’s
Fall 2012
focused on a better community
Supplying students with educational needs Back pack and school supplies programmes make it easier for students to go back to school
G
oing back to school is supposed to be an exciting time for advancing students. But for some families meeting the cost of school clothes and supplies can weigh heavily on their budget. Every year organisations across the Island work to ease this financial burden by providing school clothes and supplies for Bermuda’s school children. Here Giving speaks with a few of the people providing this invaluable service. When it comes to helping children, all cultural, social and political barriers fall away. That’s the experience of radio host Gina Spence, whose organisation Gina Spence Productions in Christ has been working to meet the needs of young people for the past 30 years. During that time the charity has gone from providing food, clothing and support for families in one neighbourhood to collecting and distributing school supplies and clothing to children in need throughout Bermuda. “It all comes down to the children. All they want to be is strong, healthy and normal; and to look like all the other children,” she said. This year they aimed to raise $5,000 to $6,000, in partnership with Family Centre and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, to provide families with specific items they needed to send their children back to school. For some, a school shirt was an enormous help. For others, it was a pair of running shoes. Some needed more. Increasingly, she said, parents were struggling to raise the estimated $400 it takes to kit out a child with
Sandys Rotary’s back to school supplies giveway saw more then 350 back packs, filled with supplies, handed out in just 22 minutes. Their’s is one of many programmes that support students as they return to the classroom.
“It all comes down to the children. All they want to be is strong, healthy and normal; and to look like all the other children.” uniform, shoes, sports equipment and school supplies. But they were stunned when a total of $14,000 in cash came in, in addition to donations of clothing, shoes and school supplies. And people from all walks of life were giving them donations, both small and large. “We received money from exempt companies, churches, individuals, soccer groups. It was so diverse,” marveled Ms Spence. “People would come to my job and write cheques: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Portuguese, Jamaican.
They didn’t have to, but it showed me that people, especially when it comes to children, put culture, class and everything else aside to come through and help.” Her employer the Bermuda Broadcasting Company helped by donating advertising air time and a storage area, while clothing stores like Gibbons Company and the English Sports Shop provided invaluable bulk discounts that allowed the charities to supply even more children with vital supplies. Uniforms, Ms Spence pointed out, were compulsory in Bermuda, and the need to switch to a winter uniform just a couple of months after the start of the year made costs even more of a challenge for parents. Just a back pack full of supplies can be a real help also, and during their recent Saturday morning school supplies giveaway Sandys Rotary Club saw first hand the impact they were having. Their team handed
GIVING is a quarterly publication of The Centre on Philanthropy and is sponsored by the Colonial Group of Companies in Bermuda
out more than 350 filled book bags in just 22 minutes. Organiser Jerry Ming said they were surprised that most of the children seemed to be toddlers, and noted that they were of different races and came from a variety of backgrounds. Mr Ming also said they were stunned by the “level of enthusiasm and responsiveness. It was a real treat watching their eyes light up as they were getting their bags. You’d think they’d prefer to be home watching cartoons and eating cereal, but they were so excited.” The parents were grateful and appreciative, he said, and almost every one made sure their child said “thank you” as they were handed their back pack. “It was very encouraging, given a lot of the negativity you read about kids these days.” This year Christian charity, A LOTT of Sista Love, headed up by continued on Giving page 3