$500,000 miracle comes to St. Benedicts

The St. Benedicts Day Nursery and Children’s Home has experienced a miracle.{{more}}

On Wednesday, April 27, the orphanage, located in Georgetown, received a cheque for EC$500,000 courtesy The Ronald and Luise Casson Foundation.

The funds will be used to complete a new children’s home with two floors. It will house up to 15 children.

Sis NyraAnne Pajjotte, Director of the St.Benedicts Day Nursery and Children’s Home, said the project had come to a standstill and all hope was almost lost when news came that the The Ronald and Luise Casson Foundation had accepted their proposal requesting assistance.

“We have a great vision for the home, for the children of St.Vincent and the Grenadines. We have been very, very, lucky, fortunate, for this foundation to come to our assistance, because we were already on the verge of closing down completely.

“And this foundation was a miracle, a miracle. When Ms.[Camille] Crichton called the night and said that they are going to help us …I couldn’t imagine. Then when she said the amount in my ears, oh my gosh. Afterwards I [was] still in doubt, ‘is it fifty dollars I heard, is it five dollars.’

“I actually knelt down in the office right away, because I was so grateful, because we know we have found ourselves in a real problem with not getting the money to continue the home,” said Sis Pajjotte.

She encouraged the public to not be alarmed and cease making donations to the Home since their contribution will go a long way in meeting the day to day cost of running the institution.

She said the Home plans to honour a special request by the Foundation, to have have a section of the building be called the Ronald and Luise Casson Foundation Special Unit.

The St. Benedict’s Day Nursery and Children’s Home has been in existence for over 42 years. It was established to provide help to needy children primarily from Georgetown, but also from other communities throughout St.Vincent and the Grenadines.

Jeanne Horne, Chairman of The Ronald and Luise Casson Foundation, said it was founded in 1979 for charitable purposes.

Horne said the fund was set up to assist non-profit organizations in St.Vincent and the Grenadines to assist with buildings and resource personnel.

She stated that the Foundation decided to provide help to the St.Benedict’s Day Nursery and Children’s Home upon recognizing that it is an orphanage of love.

Beneficiaries of The Ronald and Luise Casson Foundation have been nurseries, Marion House, House of Hope, and the Girl Guides.

Any organization that is not for profit can submit a proposal the Foundation for help.

Wednesday’s ceremony held at the Professional Secretarial and Consultany Servives Inc was attended by Chairman of the Ronald and Luisse Casson Foundation, Jeanne Horne, Secratary Camille Crichton, and Trustee Yvette Barnwell-Wickham.