The Sunbeam Boys’ Home in Spring Village, St Catherine is shining a bit brighter thanks to a donation of essential supplies and upgraded internet connectivity from the Flow Foundation last Friday, November 19. 

The Boys Home received a substantial donation of food, personal hygiene, and sanitisation products, as well as an upgrade to Flow’s fibre fast network to support their administrative and educational initiatives.

The donation was part of Flow’s ‘Mission Week’ of activities from November 15-19, which is spearheaded by its parent company Liberty Latin America across all its operating companies.

Flow’s Vice President and General Manager, Stephen Price shared that the objective of ‘Mission Week’ is to positively impact communities and people through employee volunteerism and resource support.

“Mission Week represents our commitment to serve the communities in which we operate. We have a responsibility to enable progress and build more resilient communities by driving digital inclusion and supporting vulnerable and in-need persons. When our community thrives, we all do,” said Price. 

Friday’s handover was also used to celebrate International Men’s Day with the wards at the home.

Price shared relatable tips with the boys on becoming exemplary men, highlighting five characteristics that would support their goal of making a meaningful contribution to society. 

“There are five characteristics that I encourage all of you to strive for to become a man that is respected and valued – you must love yourself no matter your circumstances, you must practice compassion, you must be dedicated to your goals, you must commit to being a lifelong learner and, finally, you must have a firm self-belief,” Price advised.

The Flow VP was joined by his Technology Operations team member Michael Brown, Senior Manager for Quality Assurance, Control and Reporting, who shared his life story of humble, and similar, beginnings as some of the boys at the home.

He grew up in Bull Bay without his father and supported himself through high school by selling on the streets.  While he struggled with feelings of neglect throughout his childhood, his experience built resilience and a sense of purpose for a better life.

Brown’s fortunes took a U-turn when he attended an expo and saw a Jamaica Telephone Company booth and was fascinated by what he saw. The technology intrigued him so much that he decided he wanted to work for the company.

Filled with determination, he sought out the training that was required for the job and applied. His application was successful and over the past two decades, he has grown with that company, which evolved into Flow.

Brown’s story resonated and led to several questions from the young men who no doubt could see themselves in him. 

The Sunbeam Boys Home houses approximately 40 boys and has been quietly changing the lives of some of the most abused and vulnerable children for more than 40 years.  The home takes care of all the material needs of the boys while providing a safe and nurturing environment that prepares them to reenter society.

Manager of the Sunbeam Boys Home, Desmond Whitley, expressed immense gratitude for Flow’s donation. 

“Christmas came early for us because we have improved connectivity.  We have received food and sanitisers and masks among other well-needed items and on behalf of the boys of Sunbeam, we express our sincere gratitude,” he said.

“This will go a tremendously far way in improving what we offer to the boys, which is an opportunity to be educated.  Education is that great equaliser, and connectivity is essential right now for online learning, so thank you Flow, you have made life a lot easier for us at Sunbeam.”

The donation to the Sunbeam Boys Home was one of several activities undertaken by Flow to celebrate Mission Week 2021. Other activities included beach clean-up at the New Causeway Fishing Village in Portmore, Siganey Beach in Rockfort, St Andrew and Dragon Gym Beach in Montego Bay.

Flow also hosted a mental health webinar for educators and shared online engagement strategies, such as gamification, with more than 200 primary school teachers to enhance student engagement and learning.

The company will also be providing three rural communities with wifi hotspots to enable progress through digital inclusion.