The American University of Antigua (AUA) campus has been a hive of activity thanks to a slew of community outreach initiatives in recent weeks.
The Administrative Support Services Department donated supplies including school bags, notebooks, pens, pencils, geometry sets, calculators, manila folders and other items to the Mary E Piggott Primary School. Bulk quantities of cleaning products including hand sanitiser and soap were also given.
Department Supervisor Madella Aubrey-Christopher expressed the hope that the supplies will help provide a safe and healthy learning environment for teachers and students alike. The items were collected via the campus’s annual school supplies drive which runs from June to August and to which students, faculty members and staff contribute.
This month also saw the annual CPR staff challenge hosted by the AUA Emergency Medicine Training Centre (EMTC). The challenge began on June 7 and culminated with a brief prize-giving ceremony the next day.
EMTC Manager Jeremias Samuel reminded participants that CPR skills can save the life of a loved one. Contest winners Ken Jarvis, Nadia O’Donoghue-Farrell, and Janice Vigo received day passes for the Verandah Resort and Spa, a Digicel mobile phone, and lunch at the Garden Grill restaurant respectively.
In recognition of International Men’s Health Month, campus administration encouraged AUA men to get a general check-up, compliments of the university’s Health and Wellness Centre.
Other activities planned for the coming months include an on-campus community health fair, a youth skills day camp to coincide with World Youth Skills Day on July 15, and a food drive on August 19 for World Humanitarian Day.
The food drive will help stock the campus’s food pantry which provides food and necessities to the less fortunate in the campus community.
Also planned for World Literacy Day is a revamp of the Schools Reading Programme initiated by the Community Outreach Committee in collaboration with various student interest groups.
The initiative seeks to foster a love for reading among youngsters and involves book donations to primary school libraries and scheduled read-along sessions at beneficiary schools.
