Jamaican Primary School Raises $100K for Needy Library
RSSBy Rocco Staino -- School Library Journal, 03/08/2009
As far as fund-raising efforts go, the one by Balmagie Primary School on the island nation of Jamaica was a huge success—it raised a whopping $100,000 for the library.
Media specialist Janet Headlam had recently asked her students to write letters to prospective donors describing why their library was in dire need of books and other materials.
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Fifth-grader Daniella Henry's letter helped her school library win a $100,000 grant. |
The letter came to the attention of officers at the N.C.B. Foundation—the charitable arm of the National Commericial Bank of Jamaica Ltd.—which helps fund youth education. And soon the foundation decided to award the school a $100,000 grant to improve their school library.
“The N.C.B Foundation was moved by Daniella Henry’s letter to financially assist her school to purchase books for her library," says bank spokeswoman Bridgette Rhoden, who described Henry as a “change agent for her school, classmates and community.”
Located near the capital Kingston, Balmagie Primary School serves more than 1,000 students in first through sixth grades. When contacted by School Library Journal, Headlam, who has been a librarian at the school for three years, describes her library's condition as “extremely sad” filled with old, worn books. Students had to limit the number of books they checked out because the library didn't have enough to meet their needs.
But the grant has made a huge difference. “It really means so much to the children," Headlam says. "It had been so long since the library had any new books. The funds have changed the mood of the library with students excited about their visits.”
Headlam welcomes donations of new books and other resources for her expanding library collection. The address is Balmagie Primary School, 13 Half West Bay Farm Road, Kingston 11, Jamaica.
