Denise Stewart Celebrates Birthday By Donating Tablets To Needy Students

To celebrate her 39^th birthday in April, Denise Stewart, a Jamaican living in the United States (US),   decided that she wanted to do something that would be impactful.

After some thought, she came up with the idea of donating 39 tablets to needy students in her native parish of St. Elizabeth and neighbouring Manchester.

Earlier this year, she had provided 120 devices for children in the two parishes, but she recognised that the need was great and wanted to do more.

As her birthday approached, Ms. Stewart solicited support through social media and was able to secure 44 devices, exceeding her target, and enabling her to also reach five students at the Maud McLeod High School in Westmoreland.

Regional Director in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Nadine Leachman, commended Ms. Stewart for her selflessness, noting that the beneficiaries are grateful.

“She did not just think about herself but thought about how she could use her 39^th birthday to impact others,” Dr. Leachman told JIS News.

She said that the contribution from Ms. Stewart supports the Ministry’s strategic focus on ensuring that every child has a device to access online learning.

“We are very grateful to her – the community of educators, the education system, and the communities where the children come from, everybody is appreciative of this. It is helping us to meet our target. We recognise that since COVID-19, we were way behind, and the more the students are exposed to this digital era, the better it is for them and for all of us as a country,” she said.

Miss Stewart shared with JIS News that she is happy to be in a position to help the students.

She said that the tablets were contributed mainly by family members and friends, with the school principals and guidance counsellors deciding on the beneficiaries.

She is urging the students to take care of the devices and for parents and guardians to supervise their use.

“This is to help them with their schoolwork and not to put games on them. Be very careful with them because the donors had to work very hard to contribute them,” she noted.

Principal of the New Forest Primary and Infant School in Manchester, Sharon Anderson, told JIS News that her school received seven devices and “we are very fortunate to have benefited from the gifts”.

“We are happy that our school was considered to be a part of this initiative.  If we have more persons contributing to the needs of our children, then our nation would be better. The school is grateful and I am sure that the parents and students are also grateful,” she said.

For his part, Principal of the Nain Primary School in St. Elizabeth, Stevon Sheriffe, said the school is thankful for the devices, noting that “they have really improved our online attendance”.

“We are grateful for people like Denise because even though the Ministry of Education is doing its part, they are not able to reach everybody, but individuals like her come on and reach those not reached by the Ministry,” Mr. Sheriffe noted.

He is also urging the students to take care of the devices and “make good use of them to learn, so that the donors can feel proud”.

Students at Top Hill Primary School in St. Elizabeth, many of whom were using cellular phones to access online classes, are happy to receive the tablets, Principal of the institution, Cavene Bisasor Headlam said.

“This is something to celebrate and to be thankful about. We need more people like Denise in the society,” she said.

Principal of Bull Savanah Primary School in St. Elizabeth, Colin Cameron and Principal of the Rose Hall Primary School also in the parish, Claudine Lewis, expressed gratitude for the donation of devices and encouraged others to provide similar support for needy students.