Former J’can pro athlete seeks to motivate students
Shonda Faulkner to host treat in St Thomas on Saturday
Published:Wednesday | August 30, 2023 | 12:12 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Former American and Canadian League football player Shonda Faulkner will be hosting a drive-through back-to-school treat across several communities in St Thomas this weekend with the aim of assisting some 500 students.
The annual treat, which is now in its fifth year, will get under way this Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
The communities to benefit include Mount Lebanus, where Faulkner is from and where most of the activities of the day will be centred, as well as Cedar Valley, Somerset, and Trinityville.
“The purpose of this treat is to really show the Jamaican kids a different aspect of life,” said Faulkner, who migrated to New York at the age of 10.
The businessman said he is grateful that he can now share with other people while showing them the blueprint to success.
“I want to help them to navigate their lives in Jamaica. This year is very special because it will be hosted inside a structure that was rebuilt. A natural disaster took my family home and we rebuilt it. We are gonna host the treat inside there,” he said.
The emphasis on the building, according to Faulkner, is to teach the children resilience.
Faulkner said his humble background made him value his journey from Jamaica to America, going to college, and having a short career as a professional athlete.
An Indiana State University alumni, Faulkner entered in the 2008 NFL draft and was invited to the training camps of New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings.
He had hoped for a long career, but injuries got the better of him and so he had to rely on his two university degrees.
The former Edmonton Eskimo said today’s children need to be taught a lesson or two of consistency and having a willing heart no matter what the circumstances are.
Another key lesson, he noted, is “also teaching the children that education is the key to success.
“It’s not [just] a matter of going to school and studying your work. It’s really developing your mind and developing certain skills,” Faulkner said.
The motorcade format for the treat is to reach children who would not be able to leave their communities.
“We are going to them and present the supplies in an exciting fashion,” Faulkner said.
He told The Gleaner that he was drawn to assist children in his homeland because whenever he travels to Jamaica he is reminded of the day-to-day struggles.
As a former athlete, Faulkner said he intends to launch sporting activities to help develop the raw talents of the children.
The motorcade will start in Cedar Valley at 10:30 a.m. then move to Somerset, on to Trinityville, and then to the Diamond Plaza in Mount Lebanus at 2 p.m.
The activities include seminars from business leaders, health practitioners and law enforcement personnel.