Warm Holiday Wishes and Gratitudes

Dear Members, Supporters and Friends,

As you spend time with loved ones and (hopefully) enjoy some well-deserved rest, I encourage you to reflect on the meaningful impact you made throughout 2025. Your dedication and hard work—particularly during the Centennial Year celebrations—are truly commendable. To all our supporters, we extend our heartfelt appreciation and thanks for your continued commitment and generosity.

This Christmas season, our hearts are heavier than in years past. The holidays are not quite the same knowing that many of our loved ones have endured the devastation and ongoing challenges caused by Hurricane Melissa. Yet, may this season also remind us that the greatest gifts are not wrapped in paper, but found in the kindness of neighbors, the strength of community, and the love we share with one another.

May this holiday season bring you peace, joy, and time to rest and renew. I am deeply grateful for all that you do, and I look forward to another year of working together to support the rebuilding and restoration efforts—ensuring that Mount Alvernia High School returns to a place of full normalcy and strength.

Thank you for all you do. Wishing you and your loved ones a warm, peaceful, and joyful holiday season.

Warmly,
Dawn Jones & The M.A.H.S. Central Florida International Board.

Here are some highlights of our accomplishments over the years: 

• Sept. 2019: Brand new MAHS School Bus delivered!: The combined efforts of the staff, alumni and supporters that played a major role in helping us to fund-raise and making both acquisition of the School Bus and the Bus Dedication event a tremendous success.
  The Jamaica Observer: " A bus for Mt. Alvernia High!" >>

  Video: MAHS School Bus Dedication

  Jamaica Gleaner: "Transport Woes Eased at Mt. Alvernia High."

• The 2018 Health Fair: A team of medical professionals and ancillary volunteers provided health care screenings and information to students and staff. Interactive sessions introducing vision boards to students created a competitive atmosphere. Students are now focused on making healthier food choices and creating a vision board of their own.
  
  
• The S.M.R.T. Program 2018- Measuring our Outcomes! Data collection over the past seven years helped us launch - The S.M.R.T. Program (Self Motivated & Responsible Teens). SMRT is an interactive student-centered intervention geared at supporting young people to develop positive sexual health behaviors. This is a collaboration with the Ministry of Education’s health and family life unit. Thanks to Alumni and member Joy Crawford Founder of Eve for life program for helping us launch, support and monitor our young sisters at risk and those in need of help. The Eve for Life team plays an active role at every health fair hosted by MAHSCFL.
  
  
• 2017 MAHS gets J$12.5M Computer Resource Centre: Open and Operational! At a quick glance, one year has gone by since ground-breaking, and students and staff now have 100% daily usage by all grade levels. Ms. Thorpe, Assistant Librarian must be commended for doing a great job working with our little sisters at M.A.H.S. View photos>>
  
  
• Lunch Program: We continued to sponsor a lunch program to assist needy students. 
  
  
• Tuition Assistance: We also continue to provide tuition assistance for students who demonstrate the need and meet our organization’s requirements. 
  
  
• Tuition Assistance (Tertiary Institutions): Our organization continues to provide assistance to several graduates who go on to further their education at tertiary institutions. A few of our earliest recipients of this program have now graduated. Dr. Nicole Nation MBBS and Ovashia Matterson BSc Accounting who is currently pursuing her CPA part 2 in 2019. Congratulations!! 
  
  
• Athletic Programs: Swimming, tennis, basketball, netball, football, track and field teams were given water bottles for each team members. We also donated 14 tennis rackets in October 2018. 
  
  
• Prom Dress Drive: One of the most popular programs continues to expand, thanks to donations from our members and sponsors. A special thank you to “The Belle of the Ball” organization in Clearwater, Florida for their donation of 150 dresses! 
  
  
• Teacher’s Recognition Program: Miss Kerry Brown our first award recipient continues to make a difference with staff and students.
  
  
• Food Drive: We have continued partnership with ‘Followers of the way Deliverance Ministry’, to break the cycle of hunger among the homeless, unemployed, families with children and elderly struggling with food insecurities. ...... Full article & photos>>
  
  
• We made donations to the “Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor”, for the Haiti Hurricane Emergency Food Drive. 
  
  
• Medicines & Medical Supplies: Significant “in-kind” donations were made to the Hope, Seaford Town & Catherine Hall Type 4 clinics in Jamaica.
  
  
• Cornwall Regional Hospital: Two (2) Defibrillators, much-needed medical and surgical supplies, Ambu bags ( resuscitator bag used to assist ventilation) and medicines were presented to the hospital Read Thank you message from Dr. Harvey, the Acting Senior Medical Office (SMO) of Cornwall Regional Hospital : Go>>
  
  
• Bustamante Children’s Hospital: Pediatric Ambu bags were donated for each ward and the Emergency Rooms. 
  
  
• The Savanna-la-mar Hospital - Donations of much needed medical and surgical supplies. Ambu bags, trach kits, oxygen supplies, dressings, tube feeding bags, syringes and urinary catheters.  
  
  
• The Consie Walters Cancer Hospice, located on the grounds of the St. Joseph’s Hospital, on Deanery Road, in Kingston- We donated ongoing supplies of scissors, gauze, rolls, bandages, tapes, antibiotic creams and skin care products for wound dressings. 
  
  
• 2015 “M.A.H.S. first school bus” is a dream of ours we continue to pursue. Our students and faculty need a reliable mode of transportation to take them to and from the myriad of school activities in which they participate. 

Mt. Alvernia boasts a vibrant and active student body. On any given day you will find groups of students away from the campus and in various parts of the island as they engage in sports, academic, or civic activities. There are over 50 extra-curricular clubs and school ambassador programs that require students to regularly represent the school on an off-site basis. Yes folks – this dream is quickly becoming a reality! We need your help! We are almost there! Please continue to support this initiative by sending in your pledge today. We have the opportunity to turn $20K into $40K through matching funds from a generous benefactor. Through your sacrifice and generosity, Mt. Alvernia will get its first school bus ever! Thanking you in advance.  

I am sure you can see why we are so grateful to you for many accomplishments. Through your generosity we have been able to do so much for so many. Because of you we are accomplishing our mission every day! Thank you! MAHSCFL pledges to continue to do our utmost to ensure that Mt. Alvernia will be a top tier academic, fine arts, and athletic institution. 

With Gratitude,
Dawn Jones, President

Board Members: (From left to right)
Karen - Dawn - June - Gillian - Marie - Joy - Debbie - Angela - Lisa - Denise - Dawn - Karen