Allen-Shaw Foundation, Inc.
Information Sheet
Date of Inception: June 1996
Contact: Paula Shaw-Founder/Chairperson
Address: 3565 Bivona Street
Suite 13J
Bronx, New York, 10475
Tel: (718) 379-4232
Fax: (718) 405-1170
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.allenshawfoundation.org/
Tax Status Non-Profit Organization
…first of its kind in Jamaica-A district library for residents…
-Mandeville Weekly, December 19, 1996
MISSION STATEMENT:
To provide children in rural Jamaica with knowledge through books and cutting edge computer technology. To give them a window of opportunity to life beyond their limited boundaries and give them desire and hope to strive for excellence.
PURPOSE:
The Allen-Shaw Foundation was founded by Paula Shaw in June of 1996 to help fund the Allen-Shaw Reading Room (Libraries). The Allen-Shaw Reading Rooms were created in honor of her grandmothers Anita Allen-Soares and Doris Shaw. The Allen-Shaw Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides educational materials to children in Jamaica, West Indies. The aim of the foundation is to set up libraries in economically deprived rural areas. This will aid in providing a window of opportunity to life beyond their limited boundaries and give them the desire and hope to strive for excellence. Many of our children in Jamaica’s rural districts are unable to attend school for various reasons, primarily because of the parents inability to afford school fees. In the deep rural areas certain facilities and privileges are lacking. Children have to travel many miles to access vital information. The Foundation was established to provide several basic community services such as libraries, scholarship programs, summer school/camps and literacy classes within these areas. These programs are offered specifically through the Allen-Shaw Reading Rooms with funding from the Foundation. The Reading Rooms currently provides tutorial workshops that offer:
- exposure to a global technological environment (internet in some areas)
- training in computer courses
- workshops on health and social education.
The Allen-Shaw Reading Rooms provides a place for children and adults to go and gather information not easily accessible.
There are now six (6) libraries with the Allen-Shaw Reading Room name, however the foundation provides several location with books, computers and other educational materials for library start-up. The foundation was fortunate to have a volunteer from a branch of the Peace Corp. Organization travel to Jamaica to update the first library and work with the young children for three weeks. The following programs were implemented in 1998:
- Scholarship Program
- covers yearly school fees and other expenses of students based on economics and merit
- Mentor Program
- individuals traveling to Jamaica on vacation volunteer their time to conduct 1-2 day workshops on educational and community related issues
- Community Based Programs
- literacy programs – remedial classes to students and reading classes for adults
- summer school/camps-service to 80 – 100 children each summer provides remedial tutoring, literacy classes, health and social education, and instructional day trips
- Allen-Shaw Foundation Mixed Multitude Award – presented to individuals from the community who adopt orphan children and oversee their educational development
OBJECTIVE:
The Foundations’ objective is to set up several Reading Rooms throughout the remote areas of Jamaica. Each Reading Rooms will be equip with:
- the cutting edge in computer technology
- visual equipment (TV/VCR, Slide Projectors)
- audio/recognition center (i.e. phonics, alphabets)
- an array of books from reference to fiction
The first Allen-Shaw Reading Room is located in the Resource District of South Manchester. It opened December 26, 1996 and is housed in 600 sq. ft. room in the local church. Respectively, the other two libraries are located in the Old Harbour Bay Area, Sav-la-mar and Spanish Town. The Reading Rooms contains computers, laser and ink jet printers, and over 2,000 books each. The Reading Room is staffed with volunteers who live within the community, a librarian and a computer teacher.
Library Locations:
- Resource District, Manchester-Main Library
- Sav-La-Mar SDA High School
- Old Harbour Bay (in conjuction with The Community Development Association)
- Rio Cobre Juvenile Correctional Center-Spanish Town
- Brittonbille All-Age School- St. Ann In conjunction with the Jamaica Peace Corp. Organization
- Union All-Age School-St. Ann
- Hayes Primary & High School- Clarendon (Donated educational materials)
Past Contributors/Supporters (Financial, Books, computers, library supplies)
- Colgate-Palmolive Company
- Heidtke Foundation
- Lillian Vernon Company
- Air Jamaica
- Review & Herald Publishing Company
- Pacific Press Publishing
- Highsmith Inc.
- Gaylord Bros.
- Golden Book Source
RECOGNITION/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (Videos Available)
- Air Jamaica Skywriting September 1999
- Mandeville Weekly, February 1999
- Article “Marcus Garvey Club and Allen-Shaw Reading Room Honor Golden Age”
- The Jamaican Observer, October 31, 1998
- Article: Savanna-la-Mar High making strides
- http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/
- JBC Television
- Programs: Morning Time-December 23, 1996
- A Ray Of Hope-December 26, 1996
- Mandeville Weekly, December 19, 1996
- Article: “New Innovative Library in South Manchester”
- The Gleaner, January 16, 1997 (Editorial Comments)
Foreplay’s of The Tongue-A Book of Poetry & Art Fund-raiser
July 1997
@The Sculpture Gallery,
Greenwich Village-New York
Assemblyman Nick Perry, Guest Speaker
Foreplay’s of the Tongue is a book of poetry and Art, which is in progress, written by Paula Shaw as a fund-raising tool for the Allen-Shaw Foundation Scholarship Fund in Jamaica.
Fund-raiser
An invitation to have some of Jamaica’s finest Artists display their Art Gallery Collections of Paintings and Lithographs at your special party or social gatherings. A portion of each sale will be donated to the Allen-Shaw Reading Rooms.
Don’t Throw Those Books Out…
Looking for a productive way to dispose of your used books and help nourish hungry minds in Jamaica? LOOK NO FURTHER!!. The Allen-Shaw Reading Rooms in Jamaica needs your donation of BOOKS to help maintain and improve the educational well-being of children living in rural areas. All types are books are needed, CHILDREN, fiction, non-fiction, black authors, mystery, educational text books, etc. It is a splendid investment in their future and the future of our global community.
For more information call
The Allen-Shaw Foundation, Inc. at (718) 379-4232
Pick up arrangements will be made for your convenience.
Allen-Shaw Foundation 1st –2nd Quarter Qoute Sheet
Resource District, South Manchester
1999 Allen-Shaw Reading Room Results
- The five children that placed the highest in the parish school exams are from the Allen-Shaw Reading Room-Resource District Community.
- The seven-year old that won the local spelling bee is from the Allen-Shaw Reading Room-Resource District Community.
- A student from Resource District will be the first recipient of the Allen-Shaw Foundation 1999 Scholarship Fund.
- A local woman who raised and educated 27 children was the first Recipient of the Allen-Shaw Foundation Mixed Multitude Award.
- A local man whose concerns for his community goes above and beyond his call of duty was the first recipient of the Allen-Shaw Foundation Community Service Award.
- The summer school, a join partnership with the local Marcus Garvey Club and the Allen-Shaw Reading Room had to be moved to a new location because over 125 children registered for the Program.
…mi nuh know weh di children dem deh, none nuh deh pon road, none nuh deh inna deh yard…all a dem locked up inna room a read….
-local mother complaining that the children are reading too much
Resource District
(I don’t know where the children are. They are not on the road, none of them are in the yard. All of them are locked up in their rooms reading)
For more information call
The Allen-Shaw Foundation, Inc. at (718) 379-4232 or E-mail: [email protected]
Pick up arrangements will be made for your convenience.
