We recently got back from our trip to Negril, Jamaica for the Social Media On the Sand conference at the Beaches Resort. At the conference, The Sandals Foundation, non-profit for Sandals and Beaches Resorts, announced its new collaboration with School Specialty through the Pack for a Purpose® program. This partnership will assist travelers to Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, who wish to bring along much-needed supplies for local schools in the Caribbean.
Pack for a Purpose® program
Before the conference, all the attendees received a lightweight backpack that we filled with school supplies. I packed the recommend five pounds of supplies in my suitcase to travel to Jamaica. (Plus I had extra space leftover to bring souvenirs home!)
Together, we’ll help to make a meaningful impact on the education of thousands of children throughout the Caribbean. Over the next twelve months, School Specialty has committed its support to students and teachers in The Islands with a donation of educational supplies valued at $150,000. First priority has earmarked a portion of these supplies for schools across The Bahamas including schools in hardest hit islands like Grand Bahamas and Andros for hurricane relief efforts.
Most of the time when you make a donation, you don’t really get to see how your contribution makes a difference. I actually got to hug that little girl that will use those markers and those scissors that I carefully picked out. It’s truly a life changing experience.
How You Can Participate
The non-profit Pack for a Purpose program encourages travelers to bring up to 5 pounds of needed supplies in their suitcases to meet the needs of people in nearby underdeveloped regions. All Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts in Jamaica, Antigua, St. Lucia, The Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados and Turks and Caicos serve as participating destinations for the program and have collected and distributed thousands of pounds of needed materials to the many educational institutions which the Sandals Foundation supports.
School Specialty has spent time with educators in the islands to discuss the school supplies that are desperately needed. They developed an assortment of pre-assembled backpacks filled with fundamental items for different grade levels, including art supplies, pens and pencils, notebooks and paper, various accessories such as calculators, rulers, staplers, scissors, and more.
As you pack for upcoming vacation, please shop these supplies and use the promo code 081BEACHES at checkout to receive the price you see in red. They will ship these items directly to your door, so that you can pack them in your luggage. Please order at least 3 weeks prior to your departure to ensure on-time delivery.
Visit to schoolspecialty.com/sandals to view the school supply list.
Reading Road Trip: Mt. Airy School
On the first full day of the Social Media On the Sand conference, the attendees took buses to local schools to read to the children. My group visited Mt. Airy School for kids ages 3-10 years old, and I was placed with a 5-year-old girl, same age as my youngest daughter. They start school at age 3 in Jamaica and it definitely shows. She was so incredibly sweet and very, very smart for her age.
We read an Amelia Bedelia book and colored together! We took lots of photos and I showed her pictures of my daughters. She took selfies with my phone and got to play some Candy Crush. I also got to give her a keepsake photo of us together!
Since HP was one of the conference partners, they sent us all the brand new HP Sprocket. Basically it’s a portable smartphone printer that fits in your pocket! You can quickly print 2″ x 3″ stickable snapshots from virtually anywhere… even Jamaica.
Beaches Moms were among the first to experience the instant fun you can have with Sprocket. All the school children went crazy over it. Everyone wanted a photo to take home!
We did a lot of awesome things on our trip to Jamaica, but getting up close and personal with the local children was one of my favorite memories! If you are planning to visit The Islands, look for a Reading Road Trip opportunity near you. For about $25 per person, they will make the arrangements and take care of transportation for you. It’s a humbling experience. I would love to visit again and bring my children along.
Disclosure: I attended the Social Media On the Sand conference at Beaches Negril, which was attended by a number of special guests including event sponsors and influential media bloggers, who sought to sharpen their social media skills with immersive and empowering sessions. As part of this event, I received complimentary products from sponsors, discounted resort rates, and other exciting benefits.
My mom is from Colombia so we often send a lot of supplies down there. It’s so incredibly important to the children and to the schools. I haven’t heard of this program before, but I am definitely inspired now. It’s been years since I’ve been at a Sandals Resort. I’ll have to take a look for the next getaway with my husband. We’d love to participate n this.
Posts like this warm my heart and renew my faith in the human race. Thank you for sharing this.
I participated in this drive a couple of years ago at Turks & Caicos. Sandals is such an amazing resort with a huge heart for service. I love what they are dong with the local schools and the opportunity for education AND that they advocate and brig bloggers on their adventure as well.
Wow, Amy! This sounds like such an amazing and enriching experience! The Pack for a Purpose looks like such a wonderful program that truly gives back to the schools and community there! Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and story with us! <3
I never heard of Pack For A Purpose but I think it is a genius way to get help to those in need outside of the US. There are so many people that could use a bit of help and this enable those of us who want to participate to easily contribute when we travel.
Oh my goodness! What a neat experience for you to help out a child in need AND get to meet them in person! I’ve never heard of the Pack for Purpose campaign, but it sounds like an awesome program and opportunity for those who are better off to help families that don’t have much.
You are so right. People tend to wonder where their donations go when making them. I love this. Great program.
wow what an amazing way to give back. This is awesome that you got to experience this and helping those children has got to be such a rewarding feeling. That little girl you took a photo wit is adorable too – be she hated seeing you go!
Such an amazing experience. I was sick that day on our trip so I am so sad I missed it. But I do love reading everyone’s recaps and seeing the pictures. The children looked so happy to have you all there. I hope that if I get invited next year that I will be able to experience it. Thansk for sharing.
What a wonderful cause to support. I don’t travel but I’d be more than happy to help a traveler cllect the 5 pounds of needed supplies for people in underdeveloped regions.