Help us make the Jamaica Education Study Abroad School Supply Drive a success!
In the upcoming fall semester, a group of SPC College of Education student volunteers will be headed to Jamaica to work directly with children from first through sixth grades, helping them increase their reading skills. These children live in rural areas where the literacy rate is just 40% with little access to books and school supplies, as resources are scarce.
In order to enhance the learning experience for the children, the SPC College of Education students will need to bring supplies for everyone in their classrooms. To assist, the Center for International Programs is starting a school supply drive. The drive will run between August 9-18, 2017. We hope the SPC community will help gather enough supplies for all these children.
Supply List:
- Crayons and pencils, 12-24 per box
- Pens and washable markers, 10 per box
- Pencil sharpeners & erasers
- Composition notebooks (not spirals)
- Children’s scissors
- Glue sticks or Elmer’s style glue
- Chalk Chalk
- Dry erase boards & pens
- Pads of construction paper
- Printer paper, drawing paper, notebook paper
- Flash cards
- Children’s books (Must look new, unsoiled)
Supply Drop Off Sites:
The supplies can be dropped off at any of the Center for International Programs offices at the locations listed below, between the hours of 9:30am-4pm:
- Clearwater Campus AD 152
- SP/Gibbs Campus SA 111
- Tarpon Campus DE 442B
When the SPC students will leave Jamaica, these supplies will remain there for the students to use. Nothing will be taken for granted or go to waste. The children are so grateful for each item, something as small as a pencil will be treasured by them for as long as that pencil will survive.
See below some quotes from past SPC student participants of the Jamaica Education Study Abroad program:
“The students have so little, yet enjoy every bit of what they have or are given.” – Alexis K., Jamaica 2015 student (read more here.)
“The children’s smiles are beautiful, their hugs are genuine, and their hearts are open. They are ready for you to love them; oh, and to teach them too!” – Melissa C., Jamaica 2015 SPC student (read more here. )
“I may have taught them about how to sound out words and listened to them buddy read, but they taught me a great deal more. They taught me to be grateful for the things I have and to enjoy life a little bit more. The smiles on those innocent faces were my driving force throughout the trip.” – Sierra M., Jamaica 2014 SPC student (read more here. )
As you wrap up your back to school shopping, think about how far one extra box of pencils will go in Jamaica.
For questions on the school supply drive contact Anna Faiola at 727-712-5883.
