Rasbert Turner, Gleaner Writer
SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
RESIDENTS OF The Strathmore Place of Safety were given a treat by the United States-based Caribbean Children's Fund (CCF) last week Thursday where several volunteers were rewarded for their spirit of volunteerism and outstanding service to the home during the past seven years.
According to Reverend Gilbert Leigh, the home has been under the mandate of the CCF for the last seven years and the treat was planned to give something back to persons who have assisted in making the lives of children at the institution better.
The institution now houses 58 wards, 25 of whom are to boys. The population is made up of children whose ages range from eight months to 16 years. Rev. Leigh explained that many of the children who are taken to the home by the police, are sometimes left on the street by parents. He said many were abused by their parents.
The facility is currently being expanded with the help of volunteers from the Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue, Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Secretary for the CCF, Valerie Thompson, said that the high level of atrocities committed against children was quite disturbing. Mrs. Thompson said that it cost the home at least $150,000 per year to provide basic medical care for each child and thanked the major corporate sponsors who contributed to the home.
During the evening's activities, several items of songs were performed by young wards of the home. Michael Ferguson, the home's board chairman, was awarded for over five years of volunteer service to the institution.
