Foundation Delivers $7 Million in Aid to Jamaican Students

    MIRAMAR, FL, September 25, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- MIRAMAR, FL- The Lynne Mitchell Foundation, an entirely volunteer based non-profit organization, has done it once again! The Foundation, led by Marlene Gordon, the Vice President, General Counsel of Bacardi North America, donated school supplies and backpacks to more than 125 students at Seaview Primary School in Southfield, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Each child received a backpack filled with school supplies including pencils, educational workbooks, markers, paper and much more to help prepare for success this school year.

$15 MILLION DONATED TO DATE
Throughout the past three years, the Lynne Mitchell foundation has donated more than $15 million in goods and services to raise standards for the students at Seaview Primary School. This year alone, the foundation donated over $7 million in goods and services including backpacks, school supplies, classroom desks and chairs, bookcases, Mobile SVGA projectors, microwave, a PA system, DVD players, TVs, computers, refrigerator, telephone, teachers' desks, chairs, educational books, crayons, markers, and even a lawnmower! In addition to the school supplies, earlier this year the foundation replaced the leaking roof on the school's 55-year old main school building which houses students in grades 3 - 6 in makeshift classrooms created through the use of chalkboards as dividers. The roof replacement came on the heels of the foundation's replacement of broken windows and doors. The mission of the foundation is "Loving Children . . . Changing Lives" and the foundation through its efforts is making a positive difference in lives of the student, their families and teachers who call Seaview Primary School home.

"Children should not fail in school or in life because of their social circumstances," said Gordon. "Education is a key for people to change their lives, that's what it did for me. That's what I want to be able to do for other kids. There is no greater satisfaction than knowing I am helping to give these children hope for a better future."

Not only did Gordon and her team personally deliver much needed school supplies to Seaview Primary School children, they also connected on an individual level spending several hours mentoring students and listening to the needs and concerns of parents. Gordon spent time with individual students to better understand their personal struggles and to learn how the Lynne Mitchell Foundation can help them to overcome them.

SCHOLARSHIPS TO FUND HIGH SCHOOL

In addition to the school supplies, high school scholarships were also awarded to five qualifying recipients, bringing the total number of high school scholarships awarded by the foundation to 10 since the inception of the foundation's scholarship program 3 years ago for a total of $3 Million in scholarships alone. The 2015 Lynne Mitchell Foundation High School Scholarship winners, Deandre Wilson, Shemarie Munroe, Shaddae Vassell, Sasha-Gay Hanson and Rogery Salmon, were announced, each one being awarded with a foundation plaque and receiving their scholarship grants for this school year. Scholarship winners from 2013 -- Ashaylia Duncan and Ashanique Russell -- and 2014 - Goldie Bourne, Brianna Blair and Ricardo Greaves -- were also in attendance and the foundation is proud of its roster of scholars attending Hampton School for Girls, Munroe College, Black River High and STETHS. All of the scholarship winners were chosen based on their exceptional academic records and the leadership qualities they demonstrated at Seaview and in their community. Each student continues to earn the annual scholarships to cover the 5 years of high school, provided they continue to demonstrate strong academic progress and extra-curricular leadership skills.

"We work to change the future of the children we serve in Jamaica and provide them with tools to become the next generation of leaders who will make their community a better place to live. If we take this approach one student, one school, one community at a time, we will accomplish our mission of being a change agent."

Through its programs, the Lynne Mitchell Foundation provides resources to Seaview Primary to help combat the results of widespread poverty, high unemployment and low government funding of public schools in the area. Such programs include: a school lunch funding program that ensures students have enough to eat and are ready and able to learn, a transportation program that assists students with reliable transportation to school and helps combat low school attendance, and a program that provides funds to assist the school with the upgrading of its infrastructure and other special projects.

To find out more about the Lynne Mitchell Foundation, including ways to get involved, visit http://www.lynnemitchellfoundation.org.

About Lynne Mitchell Foundation

The Lynne Mitchell Foundation was created in 2012 by President Marlene Gordon to honor the memory of her mother, Lynne Mitchell and to continue her legacy of "growing love . . . one act at a time." The foundation focuses on underprivileged children in the rural community on the island of
Jamaica where Mitchell was born and raised. The current focus of the foundation is on Seaview Primary school in Southfield, St. Elizabeth. The foundation serves to raise funds for programs including scholarships, transportation, school lunches and building renovations and improvements to benefit the students, families and teachers it serves. For more information about the Lynne Mitchell Foundation and how you can become a Love Activist for the organization, visit http://www.LynneMitchellFoundation.org.

Lynne Mitchell Foundation, Inc., is a qualified 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. The foundation is also registered with the State of Florida under the Solicitation of Contributions Act - Registration #CH38687. 100% of each contribution is received by Lynne Mitchell Foundation, Inc. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free 800-435-7352 within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State.

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