SMART gifts one hundred pairs of footwear
Today SMART teamed up with the Belize Police Department to give one hundred youth a pair of footwear each. The students are participants in the Police Department’s Youth Mentorship Program. Today, the media was invited along when the youths made their selection at Dibary Store on Albert Street. Here’s more from Commissioner Williams and SMART’s P.R. Officer.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
Chester Williams
“Schools are opening very shortly and many of our children who are in our mentorship program would be going to school without footwear. Or if they do have one it would be one that is not up to standard. So, what we did was to reach up to SMART and see if we can forge that partnership with them to be able to donate to the Department’s youth mentorship program some footwear for some of our children. We are hoping to accommodate one hundred children with this initiative. Myself as a child, going to primary school my entire primary school years I go to school with no footwear. I know how it felt then and today the way how the streets are paved in Belize City with the hot mix or concrete, it is extremely hot. So, to have children walking on the street without footwear is next to inhumane.”
Adelaide Sabido
Adelaide Sabido, Public Relations & Branding Officer, SMART
“It is close to heart especially when our youth are involved. In regards to this program, we have been working with the Belize Police Department and we agreed on a sponsorship of four thousand dollars to accommodate fitting and purchasing of shoes for one hundred youth which encompasses the south side of Belize City, as well as Dangriga in the south. Some high school students will be coming in this week to pick up their shoes. We recognize that there are a lot of students going to school without footwear. We may not see it as much in Belize City but it is occurring and we hope that this small sponsorship will allow for at least some of those youths to have proper footwear to go to school everyday.”
SMART handed over four thousand dollars to cover the cost of the footwear. Commissioner Williams says that the students will also receive a school bag.
