Another corporate community partner, FLOW, has come to the forefront in contributing to the needs of parents who may find it challenging to support their children with school supplies as the new school year approaches. FLOW has taken on the mammoth social responsibility of providing school supplies for six Grade One students, one from each of the six public primary schools, every year — for six years — until the students reach Grade Six.
The herculean programme was announced in a press briefing at FLOW’s Telecom Centre on Tuesday morning, September 1st, where the selected young students were present with their parents to actually receive tote boxes full of school supplies.
FLOW’s Commercial Manager, Mrs. Jade Raymond-Richardson, stated: “With this programme we are providing resources for academic achievement. The idea is to kick off the programme by partnering with the Department of Education which has provided us the identity of six students, one student from each of the six public primary schools. FLOW will be providing scholarship supplies by supplying all the school needs of these children for the year. Items will include textbooks, exercise books, bags, pens and pencils, complete uniform outfits, and everything that the student will ever need. Then, FLOW will provide all these items and other school necessities for these students for the next six years.”
Mrs Jade Richardson with students
Mrs. Raymond-Richardson noted that FLOW intends to grow the programme over time. She emphasised: “While we have started out with six students initially, the number of students will increase every year, and the programme may eventually include students who are at the secondary level of education.”
For this initiative, Mrs. Raymond-Richardson thanked Education Officer Primary, Mrs. Susan Smith, who, as she put it, “hit the ground running” in coordinating the fair selection of the students for the programme. She said that once the parents were identified and contacted, FLOW took over the process. To that end, she thanked her colleague, FLOW’s Retail Store Supervisor, Ms. Orngel Mathew, for working along with the parents on the specific needs of the children, and particularly for coordinating the procurement of their school uniforms.
Chief Education Officer, Mr. Brent Romney, was highly appreciative of FLOW’s goodwill gesture: “I wish to express heartfelt gratitude to FLOW,” he said. “FLOW has been quite extensive in supporting education in Anguilla. This company has been a reliable partner for decades in the advancement of our education services. We are particularly grateful for the level of partnership we have received during this COVID-19 pandemic, through the provision of internet support for low income families.”
“I acknowledge the significance of this new initiative,” Mr. Romney remarked. “The support to these six students from Grade One to Grade Six is a significant commitment. It is partnerships like these that assist our community to develop in ways that we desire to see it develop, and ensure equal opportunity to all persons, irrespective to their backgrounds.”
The Hon. Minister of Education and Social Development, Ms. DeAnn Kentish-Rogers, thanked and applauded FLOW for its assistance to the community. She stressed: “Especially in times of need, we see corporations stepping in to take hold of their corporate social responsibility. The Department and the Ministry of Education have always had a trusted partner in FLOW. FLOW has recently stepped in to provide ICT and internet services to ensure that we were able to have successful e-learning during the COVID-19 stay-home period, and for this we are thankful.”
She continued: “The importance of facilitating education is one that cannot be replaced. Whatever happens in society, education will always be our mainstay and, here through this initiative, FLOW continues to contribute to the protection of the institution of education. For that, no amount of thanks will ever suffice. It warms my heart to know that FLOW is carrying these students straight through their primary school journey from Grade One. This is a significant commitment for which we are grateful.”
In response, FLOW’s Country Manager, Desron Bynoe, said: “We enjoy what we do in meeting needs in education when we see them. We cannot be a community company and not give back to the community. So, I want to thank you for allowing us to continue to contribute, as well.”
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
