Company Partners with JIS in Mount Olivet Boys’ Home Tablet Drive

Econo Office and School Supplies Limited has partnered with the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) to donate funds to the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home tablet drive.

The money is a contribution to the Home’s drive to acquire 26 devices to be used alongside the face-to-face modality to accelerate learning for the wards.

The donation was made by Econo Office and School Supplies Limited after being engaged by the JIS’s Finance Department.

Speaking at the handover, which took place at the JIS’s Half-Way Tree Road Head Office on February 28, JIS Finance Manager, Glenford West, shared how the partnership and donation came about.

“Our Stores Officer reached out to one of our suppliers, Econo Office and School Supplies and asked them to partner with us. They responded positively and have given us this contribution to be made to the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home. We want to express our deep appreciation and hope this is the start of greater things to come,” Mr. West said.

For her part, Director, Econo Office and School Supplies Limited, Ann-Marie Stennett, said the cause aligns with the company’s beliefs, which made it an ‘easy yes’ for the partnership.

“We believe the initiative is a good one in a time when so many things are happening to our men in society. We at Econo are firm believers in reinstating what we want to see, and so, making this very small step is a great way to do so,” Ms. Stennett shared.

She said her desire is to see more partnerships like this geared towards the youth, as “any activity to build our youth can go a far way in transforming the nation. If we all join together and build what good still exists, we may very well be surprised to see what happens in the future”.

Senior Staff Member of the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home, Haila Gentles, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Home for the donation of $36,737.50.

She explained that the tablets to be acquired will be paired with existing computers and laptops for the education and benefit of the boys at the Home.

“This donation will take us a far way. The boys will be better able to do some online work, as well as they can use the devices to do their homework and studies through which we will be better able to further their education,” Ms. Gentles said.

The Mt. Olivet Boys’ Home was adopted by the JIS in 2009 and remains the agency’s main corporate social responsibility project.

Ms. Gentles also shared that the boys and staff of the Home are happy with the relationship formed between the two entities and look forward to the JIS’s quarterly visits.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Enthrose Campbell, said: “We see the boys and how they interact with the computers, and we really want to see them grow more and do their own research. It is not just to tell them to read a book; now they can research and find the information themselves, and we are happy for that”.

The Mount Olivet Boys’ Home in Walderston, Manchester, which is home to 41 boys, is a private residential home that is owned by the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.