UniCycle hosts January drive to help students return to school

Building on the success of its third drive in 2021, which saw over 300 khaki uniforms, 1,000 masks and school supplies being donated to several high schools across Jamaica, UniCycle is once again calling on Jamaicans to donate gently worn khaki uniforms to schools and students in need. The teen-led intiative has once again partnered with its school, Campion College, and Fontana pharmacies across the island.

“Face-to-face school has reopened, and we know it will be hard for some families to meet all the costs associated with this, so we are grateful to our partners, Fontana and Campion College, for being willing to help us stage this additional drive to collect gently used khaki uniforms, white school shirts and any school supplies persons may wish to contribute through the month of January,” said Rhys Greenland, co-founder of UniCycle Jamaica.

He encouraged potential donors to make use of the receptacles at Fontana locations islandwide. “Just look for the big yellow containers at Fontana,” he shared.

Fontana said it’s proud to be partnering once again with Unicyle. “Fontana takes its responsibilities as a corporate citizen very seriously and is always happy to support family-based initiatives like UniCycle,” said Stephanie Smith, marketing manager.

Masks are also high on the agenda for UniCycle, which included the essential items from the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic. “We want to make sure all of our students can return to school as safely as possible, so we have fundraised and will be able to supply an additional 100 masks being made by our partner at [the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme] through the [HEART Trust/NSTA]. We hope to raise more funds to be able to provide more masks,” said Maria Greenland, UniCycle’s social media and community outreach officer.

UniCycle was started by Jordan Nakash and Rhys Greenland in 2018. In the first two years, the charity made more than 700 donations. To date, its donations have exceeded $1.5 million in uniforms, masks, and school supplies. They plan to hit the $2 million this year.

To learn more or contact UniCycle Jamaica, visit @unicyclejamaica on Instagram or email unicyclejamaica@gmail.com. Have a good story you’d like to share? Email us at goodheart@gleanerjm.com.