Community
Grant from the Citi Foundation and the Lyford Cay Foundation enables The Salvation Army to help educate local children
By Alexavia Dorsett
Jun 28, 2008 - 11:06:03 AM

Grade 5 student Jakota Johnson is happy to learn.

Local children in the Grant’s Town and St. Thomas Moore areas now have the chance to improve their reading and math skills thanks to a generous donation to The Salvation Army.

The Citi Foundation and the Lyford Cay Foundation recently donated a pair of grants totaling nearly $50,000 to the Army to establish a new educational program aimed at improving children’s literary and mathematical skills. $25,000 was donated by Citi for the purchase of new and upgraded computer equipment and $22,000 was donated by the Lyford Cay Foundation for the purchase of, and training in, the AutoSkill Reading and Math software. Designed to raise a child’s literary or math proficiency by two grade levels in only 25 hours of training, the software has been a huge hit with the local communities.

Comprised of a variety of vibrant graphical literary and math exercises, the software allows the children to have fun and immerse themselves into the software’s world while simultaneously learning. Exercises include sound and symbol associations, fill-in-the-blanks and equations. If the child is unable to read the instructions or understand the meaning of a word, an oral description can assist them. Grade 5 student Jakota Johnson loves the program, having so much fun with that he seems to forget he is learning at the same time.

“We have great respect for the work The Salvation Army does in our community,” said Margaret Butler, Citi Country Officer for The Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. “There is such a need for programs like this to enhance reading and math skills that are the cornerstone of learning. We are delighted to support a program that fills the gap for children in our country who require assistance in mastering these skills. We applaud The Army’s efforts in this community based program”.

Suzy Robinson, Chairman of Gifts and Grants with the Lyford Cay Foundation offered a similar sentiment. “Education is so important to the development of the country. Helping these children raise their reading and math skills to their respective grade level will help them achieve so much. We’re very proud of The Salvation Army for undertaking this program.”

The AutoSkill program is available through the After-school Program at both the Mackey Street and Grant’s Town Salvation Army locations. The software automatically scales itself to an appropriate skill level regardless of the age of the student, enabling anyone to increase their literacy or mathematical capability. The After-school Program Administrator at The Salvation Army, Damon Bradshaw, personally visited the local communities to recruit students for the program, and says the response has been tremendous. “Parents have been extremely willing to have their children participate, and have been very enthusiastic about this program. We’ve had to turn students away because of space requirements, but I doubt we’ll have any trouble filling the next session.”

(L-R) Major Lester Ferguson, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army, Rose Ferguson, VP and Public Affairs Officer for Citi, Margaret Butler, Citi Country Officer and Suzy Robinson, Chairman of Gifts and Grants for the Lyford Cay Foundation look on as the young program participants practice their skills

“We are so, so grateful to both Citi and the Lyford Cay Foundation for their support of this program,” said Major Lester Ferguson, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army in The Bahamas. “They understand how important programs like this are to our youth. We’re not just teaching the children math and reading, but also educating them for the future in all aspects of life. They’re being taught important skills such as punctuality and responsibility at the same time as improving their education. It’s so important, and we could not have done it without the help of our generous sponsors. We thank you.”