Thursday 17 November 2016

President's Message, November 2016

Dear Members and Friends.
2017 we will be 30 years old. We have lots of plans to honour and celebrate this milestone and to chart a renewed commitment to our work with schools and our community.

We will be visiting Jamaica in April 24-29, 2017 and we invite anyone able to come on the trip with us to think about doing so. Details will soon be forthcoming.
In 2017 we plan to:
* Increase our membership by 30%
* Add 30 new schools (or more) to our roster
* Add 300 new donors and supporters
* Offer 30 new teacher scholarships

And of course we need to raise funds to make these plans a reality. Serious funds. We ask you to dig deep and if you can add an additional $30.00 to your contribution as a one time contribution or monthly. All will be gratefully received.

It cannot be ever said enough…. Thank you to our P.A.C.E. Adopt-A-School sponsors who continue to make sure that they send in their pledges and honour their commitments to their adopted schools. Thanks to our members who know we need their funds not only to do the work of the organization but because they know it is important to be involved! We are asking you all, you who have supported us through the years to invite others to join us to make all these goals a reality.

Thanks to our Board members who take the time to do the work.

I look forward to seeing you at the annual Toy Drive in December and the Strawberry Social in June 2017.

So again, thank you all and know that we do make a difference in the lives of children—the most important work of all.

Thank you,
 

Sandra Whiting


Wednesday 16 November 2016

P.A.C.E. Greeting Cards and Framed Artwork

Looking for a unique way to send “Big Up” greetings to your friends and family? How about some new framed artwork to decorate a spot in your home or office? .... while showing how proudly you support P.A.C.E.?

 Each year students at our adopted schools (ages 3 to 7)  send us Art Images. 


We have now transformed these precious drawings into greeting cards and framed pieces, and all are now available for purchase. Greeting cards are a set of 8 cards for $10.99 (blank inside) 

100% of the proceeds benefits P.A.C.E. Canada programs.

Please contact the office to arrange your purchase: 647-352-7223


Friday 11 November 2016

What Do These 4 Ladies Have In Common?

They each have received significant awards recently.














Lorna King, whose poetry elicits a variety of emotions, launches PRIDE's new "Poetry Soapbox". She is also a former President of P.A.C.E. (Canada).
The complete poem can be viewed online at
pridenews.ca/2016/09/01/poetry-forum-carding/




Congratulations to P.A.C.E. member, Nadine Spencer, recipient of the Philantrophist of the Year Award from the Brilliant Minded Women organization.

As she explains "In April, I was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Business Award, and in June I received the Junior League Award of Excellence. I was also honored as one of the 100 Accomplished Canadian Businesswomen, and nominated to be one of the women at the Women’s Summit. Finally, I was nominated by the Brilliant Minded Women’s Organization for the Philanthropist of the Year Award. For me, this was a wonderful honor, as I have dedicated so much of my time an energy to my work with women’s education and uplifting the impoverished.. These awards have helped me to further these very important causes".



Hon. Mitzie Hunter receives the 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award, presented by Afroglobal Television's Excellence Awards program.






The 2016 Diamond Book Award goes to ... Cynthia Reyes for her memoir, An Honest House.








Monday 7 November 2016

AAS Chairperson Visits Jamaica

On November 1,2016 Diana Burke a Board Director of P.A.C.E.Canada delivered over J$4.5 million in cheques for schools on behalf of the organization to Mrs. Trisha Williams-Singh, Chair of the Early Childhood Commission (ECC). These funds were donated to 106 Early Childhood schools across all parishes in Jamaica.

This represents the second donation by P.A.C.E. in 2016 for a total of JA$9.7 million sent to 239 schools across Jamaica.

In 2017 P.A.C.E. Canada will be celebrating our 30th anniversary supporting early childhood schools and teachers in Jamaica through donations, teacher bursaries and training,  and computer education programs for the students.
P.A.C.E. is proud to be a partner with the Ministry of Education in promoting early childhood education.



This year’s Adopt-A-School event has been cancelled.


P.A.C.E. thanks the following sponsors for their donations to the following new schools:
1. Franklin Town Church of God Early Childhood Institution, Kingston - sponsor Joseph Halstead
2. Praise Tabernacle Christian Academy, St. Andrew - sponsor Florine Brown
3. Gospel Refuge Basic, St. Andrew - sponsor Issley Josephson Medecin
4. Maisie Green ECDC, St. Andrew - sponsor Janet Collins Group
5. Spring Garden Basic, St. Thomas - sponsor Candice Walker
6. Spicy Hill Basic , Trelawny - sponsors Dahlia Rose and Elaine Lawrence

Jahmona ECDC was visited on November 3rd by our AAS Chair Diana Burke to update them about P.A.C.E. and learn how the donations they receive are being used.

The Principal, Mr. Steeles, explained that funds are still needed to complete items such as floors, bathrooms and fence security.

These are all part of the requirements for certification by the Jamaica Ministry of Education.
 Tech de Bus II has been upgraded and is now back on the road, thanks to the efforts of Mrs. Kandi-Lee Crooks-Smith the Principal of Allman Town Primary School. Director Diana Burke visited the school on November 3,2016 and observed 10 students from the Arnold Road Methodist Basic School taking their second lesson in computers. Their Principal, Mrs. Lacorbiniere, accompanied the students who are one of a group of 5 schools in Allman Town benefiting from the program. Each student and teacher gets a 'passport' badge when on the Bus which tracks there access and training. Plans are to open the program to other schools in the next term.




Friday 4 November 2016

Toy Drive Market Stall Friday, December 2nd, 2016

One one cocoa full basket’’
Come fill your basket(s) with Books and School supplies
At the

P.A.C.E. ‘’Market Stall” Toy and Book Drive
Under the auspices of
The Consulate of Jamaica
Friday, December 2nd, 2016
At the
Jamaican Consulate
303 Eglinton Avenue East
Start Time: 6:00 p.m.
Egg Nog & Sorell; Christmas Cake & other Refreshments
Carol Sing-Along
Prizes & Surprises

  • Monetary donations are appreciated in order to reduce shipping costs and speed up the delivery of educational supplies and books (Purchased from Sangster’s Book stores in Jamaica and delivered directly to the schools).
  • Sponsors can purchase a $100.00 box of supplies for their school.
  • Toys and books for P.A.C.E. projects in Toronto available for purchase.
  • All Donations welcomed.

R.S.V.P. 647-352-7223 or send an e-mail to

If you are unable to attend the event and would like to send a monetary donation,
Please mail to:
P.A.C.E. Canada, 1390 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto ON M6C 2E4

Select Option “6” or “4”

Helen Sissons Award

The Awards Committe recommended to the P.A.C.E. Board that the Award should not be presented this year. The committee confirmed that:
 “None of the submissions met the criteria fully and were not close to being considered by a publisher. In the past years we have had excellent submissions, some of which have been published commercially, and are enjoying great acclaim in the field of children’s literature. It is important to maintain the level of excellence that our organization has established”.


Boys and Girls Club Playground


 Ron Rock, Executive Director, East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club, provided us with this update as of October 2016: 

“We are at the initial stage of the Viability Review Process with TDSB. The Viability Review Form has been submitted for the natural playground project. 

A Business Process Analyst from TDSB will soon conduct an onsite consultation with the Club and East View P.S to discuss the project and set some time lines, if they are no issues with the school and we already have the support of the Principal then move forward with the project. 

We anticipate that the project will be completed by Spring 2017”.