Free Uniforms to 147 Stella Maris Students

To help ease the financial strain of back-to-school preparations, all 147 students at Stella Maris School are receiving two free uniforms for the upcoming academic year.

The donation comes through a new sister-city partnership between the Belize City Council and Miramar, Florida, with Belizean diaspora organisation ‘Bridge 501’ leading the effort following a recent Belize Day event in Miramar.

Belize City Councillor Kaya Cattouse says, “I believe that all partners, all parties involved, saw the need for school uniforms as it relates to kids, and of course, that is one of the most expensive things when preparing students for back to school.”

Cattouse mentions that while Bridge 501 initially aimed to provide one uniform per student, additional community contributions allowed the group to double its donations.

Jeslyn Bennett, a parent at the school, described it as generous and admitted that learning about the donation brought her to tears. “It’s really generous, because it’s not easy being a parent trying to look for uniforms for our kids,” Bennett shared. “It made me cry when I heard about it. I still kinda get goosebumps, because it’s a generous donation.”

For Stella Maris Principal Doreth Pascasio-Griffith, the donation is about far more than just saving money. “I wanted my kids to come to school properly dressed,” she says. “I wanted them to feel valued. I wanted them to feel love and to feel confidence when coming to Stella Maris School.”