The Tribune

By NICO SCAVELLA

Tribune Staff Reporter

nscavella@tribunemedia.net

SEVEN primary schools in West Grand Bahama and North Andros impacted by Hurricane Matthew will receive free hot breakfast meals courtesy of an $8,000 donation from the Red Nose Day (Bahamas) campaign.

At St Anne’s School on Friday, 11-year-old Red Nose (Bahamas) founder Caden Smith presented Education Minister Jerome Fitzgerald with the cheque, the proceeds of which were raised from this year’s inaugural Red Nose Day (Bahamas) drive in February.

The Bartlett Hill, Lewis Yard, Martin Town, West End and Holmes Rock primary schools in West Grand Bahama, as well as the Lowe Sound and Nicholl’s Town primary schools in North Andros will benefit from the donation, Mr Fitzgerald said.

Red Nose Day is a fundraising campaign spearheaded by non-profit organization Comic Relief Inc. The annual campaign raises funds to assist the poor, but mainly young children and young adults in some of the poorest communities in the world such as Africa, Asia and Latin America. Money raised during the Red Nose Day campaign goes to the Red Nose Day fund, and is used to support projects to keep children and young people safe, healthy and educated.

Caden, who wanted to help stamp out hunger in her own country, met with Social Services Director Melanie Zonicle and Mr Fitzgerald to offer her views on how the Red Nose Day fundraiser would be beneficial to the Bahamas. Last October, her persistence paid off as she received a proclamation from Prime Minister Perry Christie to launch the first Red Nose Day in the Bahamas, which was launched on February 19.

Money raised from Red Nose Day (Bahamas) is to be used to assist the government’s National Lunch Programme, which provides lunch for more than 3,000 government school students. Red Nose Day (Bahamas) had also previously proposed to supplement the programme with a breakfast plan.

“The Red Nose initiative is something that young Caden Smith came to me with earlier this year, and I can still recall that meeting when she was so energetic, so full of life, and wanted to do what she could to serve her community, particularly those children she felt were in need,” Mr Fitzgerald said.

“This of course was a national event she put on, and I encouraged her from day one, and she inspired me to support her to the extent where I did a public service announcement, even putting on the red nose myself. So I really want to thank her for everything she has done in this regard. And to encourage more young people to get involved and to have an appreciation that we are our brother’s keeper, and it is our duty to help where we can help.”

Caden, who aspires to be a pediatrician, thanked everyone who she felt played a part in supporting the Red Nose Day (Bahamas) initiative. “I’d like to thank the ministers of education and social services, corporate Bahamas and the public for believing in me and helping me to make my dream of feeding children who are in need, a reality,” she said.

St Anne’s Vice Principal Nicolette Archer commended Caden for being an upstanding student and a good ambassador for the school. “We are so very proud of Caden, who is showing what it is like to be a real, true Blue Wave,” she said. “We are here in Blue Wave country where we say that character counts every day and all of the time. And in this initiative Caden has really shown that she is a young lady of character.

“She has often won the good character award in our school and, as you can see, this shows you why.”