UK Police & Military shoe box gift drive benefits some 2000 VI children
Following the destructive Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, hundreds of external police and military officers, especially from the UK, descended on these shores and, while their primary focus was to provide security and aid in the recovery process, there were those who became otherwise attached to the Territory.
Some met persons and even animals that left an unerasable impression on their hearts. This is the case of UK officer Pete Brown, who will forever carry the memory of young VIslander Ja'Miah E. Pickering, 3, of West End, Tortola. Following the hurricane that destroyed the child's home, the officer spotted her standing at the side of the road clinging to a stuffed toy with just her underwear on and looking very sad.
The story was told that the image of that child remained with Officer Brown, who later asked local police to find the child as he wanted to do something special for her. After returning to his home country, he sourced a special gift for her- a bicycle- and with the help of his peers had it shipped and presented to the child.
That gift was accompanied by 2000 others. Other military officers heard of others who feared they would not have had a Christmas in the British Territory of the Virgin Islands this year. Moved by this shared thought, they started a shoe box gift drive in the UK where other officers, their families, friends and others donated a shoe box packed with gifts for children.
This amounted to some 2000 gifts.
With the help of Rubicon, the gifts were shipped here and with the assistance of members of the Rotary Family they were distributed to schools across the territory.
18 Responses to “UK Police & Military shoe box gift drive benefits some 2000 VI children”
I would like to know so this can be remedied. Please email me Daniel.Holdsworth@merseyside.pnn.police.uk
That's me in the top photo wearing the the Team Rubicon T shirt with my back turned to the camera sorting the shoe boxes.
Regards and God's Blessings Dan