NCB Foundation’s adopt-a-school programme renamed to honour Stuart Reid
IN HONOUR of the late Stuart Reid, a true philanthropist and past director, the NCB Foundation recently relaunched its Adopt-A-School programme, now formally known as the ‘Stuart Reid Adopt-A-School Programme’. Reid gave eight years of exemplary service to the foundation, within which he was instrumental in the initial formation and implementation of the programme over the years.
This year, with the commemoration and renaming of the programme, the foundation also announced the addition of 11 new schools, bringing the current network to a total of 43 adopted schools across the island that will benefit from the foundation’s support. Since the programmes’ inception, the foundation has invested over $150 million, which has positively impacted the lives of over 20,000 students across the island. Additionally, in advancing the foundation’s renewed mandate of doubling down on digital transformation, the programme has also been revised to explicitly support digital programmes, initiatives and projects that will benefit all schools within the network. The expansion and the new name of the programme will honour Reid’s legacy and his dedication and devotion as a humanitarian and represent the pillars that guide NCB Foundation’s consistent efforts towards building a better Jamaica through investment in education.
UNIQUE PROGRAMME
In 2014, NCB Foundation first introduced its Adopt-A-School programme aimed at reaching more Jamaicans through the various NCB branches as well as units, departments and divisions, while encouraging volunteerism to strengthen its commitment to advancing education.
“Prior to the programme launch in 2014, our focus was primarily on grants for CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) for secondary students and, of course, our overall scholarship and grant programme. We recognised, however, that there was a gap in our support at the primary-school level, and so our Adopt-A-School programme came into being. This programme is unique from our others because it is a combination of both financial and volunteer support,” Nadeen Matthews Blair, CEO of NCB Foundation, shared.
This is reflective of the precedent set by Reid in his director role. Always prepared, Reid not only showed up for board meetings and advised on strategic and financial decisions, but really showed up in his actions of unwavering support and involvement on the ground for all initiatives under the programme, from hosting events to participating in refurbishing efforts at schools across the island. He also believed wholeheartedly in advancing the potential of Jamaica’s youth through digital literacy and a holistic approach to education and development.
“In order to expand Jamaica’s pool of digital producers, not only do we need technological and software advancements, but at the core, we need creativity and ingenuity – and we have no shortage of that here in Jamaica; in fact, we have it in abundance. At the foundation, we strongly believe that Jamaica can become a global digital leader. So, as part of the revamp of the newly dubbed Stuart Reid Adopt-A-School Programme, students can expect to receive training in software development, robotics and other technical areas. This will be supplemented by financial literacy programmes for both students and parents, as well as life-skills programmes for a holistic offering. Our wish is for every student to live a fulfilled life, and it is through each student, parent and teacher involved in this programme that the legacy and wishes of our beloved Stuart Reid will live on,” shared Matthews Blair.
The programme aims to reach Jamaicans where it matters most and strengthen the foundation’s commitment to advancing and empowering Jamaicans through education. The impact of programmes like this is farreaching, touching not just the lives of students, but also the teachers, staff and parents who make sacrifices and leaps and bounds daily to ensure our students have a solid foundation to build successful futures.
Richard Williams, principal of participating school Gregory Park Primary, shared how the programme has impacted his school. “In 2014, when I joined the Gregory Park Primary School family, the school was also adopted by the NCB Foundation later that same year. That began a partnership that has grown tremendously over the years. Since then, the activities and support from the foundation to our school have been incredible. We have received a reading room that was commissioned and completed, which has aided the improvement in language and literacy development in our school. Annual Teachers’ Day luncheons, sports day support, painting of classrooms and other facilities, refurbishing of bathrooms, photocopy machines and the financial literacy programmes, to name a few.
At the beginning of the pandemic, we couldn’t account for even six of our students who had access to the devices necessary for online learning. Today, thanks to the foundation, we can say that 135 needy students are in receipt of a device and can log on to virtual school. We must say kudos to NCB Foundation, and we look forward to that continued partnership and support under this Stuart Reid Adopt-A-School programme.”