Sat | Dec 2, 2023

Richards family gives Trinity Primary breakfast boost

Published:Thursday | September 21, 2023 | 1:00 PMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
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Nicholas, Ashley and Yoruba Princess Adunni Adeswea Richards (left) present a symbolic cheque of $530,000 to Trinity Primary School Principal Alecia Gordon-Black (third right) and teachers for the breakfast programme at the St Mary-based institution.
PHOTO BY CARL GILCHRIST
Nicholas, Ashley and Yoruba Princess Adunni Adesewa Richards (left) present a symbolic cheque of $530,000 to Trinity Primary School Principal Alecia Gordon-Black (third right) and teachers for the breakfast programme at the St Mary-based institution.
Students of Trinity Primary School in St Mary greet Yoruba Princess Adunni Adeswea Richards and her parents Nicholas and Ashley Richards.
PHOTO BY CARL GILCHRIST
Students of Trinity Primary School in St Mary greet Yoruba Princess Adunni Adesewa Richards and her parents Nicholas Richards and Ashley Adewuyi.
Alecia Gordon-Black (centre), principal of Trinity Primary School, and teachers Moya Simpson (left) and Tashae Mothersill look at some educational supplies donated by the Richards family.
PHOTO BY CARL GILCHRIST
Alecia Gordon-Black (centre), principal of Trinity Primary School, and teachers Moya Simpson (left) and Tashae Mothersill look at some educational supplies donated by the Richards family.
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On Saturday, Bernard Richards and his family handed over a cheque for $530,000 to fund a breakfast programme at Trinity Primary School in St Mary.

The programme was launched as the first initiative for the newly created Princess Adunni Trust, named after the one-year-old daughter of Bernard’s son Nicholas, whose mother, Ashley Adewuyi, is a descendant of Nigerian royalty.

The funding will allow the breakfast programme to immediately impact 30 of the 180 students on roll.

“Our family has a farm in the area, about 10 minutes away in the Unity-Nonsuch area, and it was also our daughter’s first birthday and our daughter is a descendant of the former King of Ife, who is Nigerian,” Nicholas said in explaining why the foundation was launched

“Our daughter’s name is Princess Adunni, and, in celebration of her birthday, we started a foundation called The Princess Adunni Trust, and we decided to partner with Trinity because we are neighbours with Trinity.”

He said the breakfast programme, which was targeted because of the importance of the first meal of the day in educational performance, marks the start of what will be a long-term relationship with the school.

The family said The Princess Adunni Trust is a United States-based non-governmental organisation working in rural communities across Jamaica and Nigeria, focusing on early childhood education in both countries.

“The long-term goals of The Princess Adunni Trust are to bring light to the beauty of both Jamaica and Nigeria. There is just so much cultural richness, and the foundation is going to be highlighting all different aspects of both Jamaican and Nigerian culture,” Ashley told The Gleaner.

Trinity Primary Principal Alecia Gordon-Black was grateful for the assistance and revealed that, in addition to launching the breakfast programme, the family also sponsored teaching resources for the school.

“I am grateful because most of our students sometimes have to get up early in the morning, some of them come without breakfast,” Gordon-Black said. “This assistance will go a far way because it will help us where we can help our children. Since this new academic year, because the time is so hot, we started to do morning classes instead of evening classes, so the children will have to come out a little earlier. We start at 7 a.m. and so, with this donation to start the breakfast programme, it will definitely help our children.”

Trinity Primary School serves areas such as Sandside, Trinity, Port Maria, Heywood Hall, Hamstead, and Preston in St Mary.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com