24oCEpic help for Beetham centre
THE Hearts and Minds Foundation which is a collaborative effort of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Rose Foundation, received $30,000 from the Digicel Foundation’s Extraordinary Projects Impacting Communities (Epic) programme.
With the grant, the foundation is now on the path to developing a learning and support centre within the Beetham Gardens’ Community Centre where it is based.
Digicel Foundation operations manager Cindyann Currency met with the officers and board members to discuss the initiative and understand how the space will be incorporated into a larger vision for the Beetham community, said a media release.
Sterling Belgrove, development director at the Hearts and Mind Foundation said, “This programme feeds in from a larger initiative that started at the Beetham Estate Excel Government Primary School.
We were able to implement a holistic education programme to assist the students there with remedial learning, academics, psychosocial and other support to get them ready for SEA exams.”
The grant covered the purchase of computers, a printer/copier, tables, chairs, learning charts and stationery to equip the learning resource centre. The centre will help the members of the Police Youth Club to excel like their counterparts in the primary school, the release said. The programme is run by the Rose Foundation and the IATF with support from the parents and community volunteers.
Sgt Jones, finance director of the Hearts and Minds Foundation expressed his thanks to the Digicel Foundation.
He said, “There are communities who want this kind of intervention, then there are communities who need it, thank you for coming on board to address the needs of a community like Beetham.”
According to Digicel, the objective of Epic is to deliver a series of small community-based projects that enhances community spaces throughout TT. This is achieved through registered community groups applying to the foundation for a TT$30,000 grant and the successful applicant gets funding to implement a set project.