Torrington School Addition

The Torrington School, near Sav la Mar is, operated by the Wesleyan Holiness Church, like so many Jamaican schools, is overcrowded. Some classes are held outdoors, under a tarp attached to the building. Imagine a young child trying to learn with the discomforts and distractions of this class room!!

FOJ was contacted by Hal Harrison, owner of a bar and 2 restaurants in central Illinois, with an idea for a fundraiser to benefit the children of Jamaica. He had visited the school on a previous trip and was moved by the needs of the school, the sweet students, the teachers, and like so many of us, by Jamaica as a whole. A plan was made for Mr. Harrison to have the fundraiser and then donate the money to FOJ, enabling donors to take advantage of FOJ’s non-profit status when filing their taxes. His only requirement was that the money be used to benefit children and that the money could be delivered to the recipient by the winners of the raffle that was part of the fundraiser.

The fundraiser was a huge success, and Hal gave a check for $3,100 to FOJ for 3 projects. The Torrington School received $1,900 to be used to start an addition to the building for a classroom.

The contact person for this project is Rev. George Haughton.

Here are some pictures before construction.

Update

Money raised by FOJ member Hal Harrison was used to purchase the shipping container you see in the pictures. It is being modified to house more classrooms and an office for the teachers.