I was greatly saddened by the recent devastation of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. Many schools were affected and damaged, but Manning High School was hit especially hard, losing its entire library of books and literature. As someone who believes in the power of education, I wanted to help replace the books that were lost, so we are collecting and sending high school books for students in grades 9-12.

The funds raised will be used to ship two 75-gallon barrels of books to Jamaica and cover the clearing fees once they arrive in the country. This will ensure that the students at Manning High School and Townhead High School can once again have access to the resources they need to learn and grow. The Manning library, founded in 1738, was the oldest in the Caribbean, and its loss is deeply felt by the entire community.

We have already collected a significant amount of school books towards our rebuilding project, but we need your help to get them into the hands of the students who need them most. Please join us in supporting these schools as they recover from Hurricane Melissa. Your generosity will help restore hope and opportunity for so many young people.