By Donella Hosten

The smiles on the faces of the students, parents and teachers of the Grenada School for Special Education were worth much more than words can express when the Greenidge family handed over a donation to the tune of EC$10,000 worth of school supplies, stationery, non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies, a laptop and a wheelchair to the school.

Members of the Greenidge family who are originally from the parish of St David’s, but are now residing overseas and throughout Grenada, combined their resources and collected donations to assist the aforementioned school.

The Barnacle was present to witness the handover, which was held on the School’s compound on Monday 6 August, and had exclusive interviews with two members of the family and the Principal of the Grenada School for Special Education, Mrs. Patricia Williams-Prince.

Probing into why this School, in particular, was selected by the family, Mrs. Doreen Greenidge-Jones told the Barnacle that last year, while she was at a business place in the south of the island, she came across a woman soliciting funds to feed the children of the School. She then spoke to the lady and enquired more about the School before contacting the Principal a few days later.

Principal, Mrs. Patricia Williams-Prince, was overjoyed and accepted the family’s offer to assist, and provided them with a list of necessities for the school. The family jumped at the opportunity to help the School and proceeded to gather the items and solicit donations from family, friends and co-workers from the United States of America and Canada. It took them approximately one year to get everything together and shipped to the island. Although they experienced some hiccups during the process, this didn’t stop or deter them in any way.

Mrs. Greenidge-Jones affirmed that the family has no ties to the School, but, they believe that it is important to take care of the children because they are the future of the nation. “It makes us very happy to give back and to help others.” Additionally, “I think a lot more people who are abroad should look back and give back to where you came from because it is a cycle.”

Mrs. Portia Greenidge-Romain, one of the coordinators for the reunion, also spoke to the Barnacle. She described the occurrence of the choosing the school as an accident, which they now believe was necessary, as their initial plan was to provide hampers for a certain number of families in Grenada. However, due to some difficulties and a possible lack of communication, they were unable to do so.

This is the second family reunion in Grenada since 2013, when the Greenidge family made another donation to four schools in Grenada and on the sister isle of Carriacou. “We would like to continue making donations to the School because it’s quite important to give back to our community.” According to her, it wasn’t an easy feat, but they are thankful to everyone who supported. “People were very generous giving foodstuff or money to purchase items.”

Expressing profound thanks to the family on behalf of the School, was Mrs. Rhonda Wint, a teacher at the School. She assured them that the items are very much appreciated and will be distributed and used wisely.

This was by no means an ordinary stroke of luck, but it was considered a great blessing by the Principal, who stated that this was by far one of the most substantial donations ever received by the School. The delighted Principal told the Barnacle that they are incredibly grateful for the contribution. “It’s really heartening and we are extra grateful for the things that we received today. This will go a long way in making sure the children are ready for school.”

The Grenada School for Special Education is located in the Limes, Grand Anse, St. George’s and currently has 72 students and 10 teachers.