President of the Little Assistants Foundation, Jhunelle Wright [left], donates a tablet and phone cards to a child [right]as part of the Foundation’s pilot project to aid in online learning on Saturday, October 3, 2020.

Photo Credit: Little Assistants Foundation on Instagram

By: Jayda Lunan

“We all felt, you know like we did something.” Those were the words of enthused Brianna Bryce, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Little Assistants Foundation, as they had the handover ceremony of their first charitable project.

The ceremony saw back-to-school items being given to a child at the end of a church service. The Foundation’s first beneficiary was personally known by one of the members.

The members approached the child’s parents and found out what was needed to go back to school.

Each member contributed some money to the cause, and along with donations from others, the Foundation bought the supplies then gifted them, “so that child’s life could be better and they could be inspired to continue education.”

The Little Assistants Foundation is the product of a whimsical vision of its now President, Jhunelle Wright.

Wright had a keen interest in helping others, and she invited her friends to join in her zeal.

The Foundation’s story of coming into being embodies their motto of taking “the first step to making a difference.” They carry the same spontaneity into their method of seeking people to help.

“We have little pop-up sessions, where we would be at church or on the road, and we try to visit persons. Like the other day we went to different elders to visit their homes, to give them a warm welcome and say hi, to let them know that they’re included”, Bryce explained.

However, the Foundation does have a special focus on children.

Currently, the members are still working on back-to-school initiatives, as they see many students in their St. Mary community who are unable to join online classes because of the lack of a tablet, or other essentials.

They are scouting students with the aim of providing them with these resources.

God is also a foundational value for the Little Assistants. Many of its members are Seventh-Day Adventists.

“Even when we were starting, we ensured that we had our consecration service and prayed over the organization,” Bryce said.

“God is someone that we believe firmly in, and I think He has blessed most of the members with a heart of giving and helping.”

As a result, they can embrace the current challenges in the country as a way to propel the Foundation.

“In this time, COVID is affecting everybody around us, so even though it has negative impacts it also has the positive where we can step in and help,” Bryce said.

She says that COVID-19 revealed in a new way to the committee member, how desperately some people need help in their lives.

As PRO, Bryce spends her time trying to encourage as many persons, organizations and sponsors as she can to partner with and donate to the Foundation.

At the moment, most of the help the Foundation receives are from people who are close to them. Getting a major help that they need is a challenge, as with most new charities, but what they say sets this Foundation of young people apart, is their passion.