Kagman shelter students get donation of school supplies

The CNMI Fire and Emergency Medical Services Association and the Lady Diann Torres Foundation teamed up to donate over 30 bags of school supplies to students currently living at the Kagman Emergency Shelter Facility.

Yesterday, during an interview with CNMI Fire and EMS Association vice president Derek Gersonde, he said that the association in partnership with the First Lady Diann Torres Foundation set up donation boxes to raise funds that would go to the purchase of school supplies for 35 students who remain in the shelter as a result of Super Typhoo Yutu that barreled across the CNMI three months ago.

“About a month and a half ago, we put out at all Joeten Enterprises and majority of the hotels on the island, we put out donation boxes and the community and the establishments have been collecting and donating stuff,” he said.

“These will be going to the kids from the shelters…specifically the students from the south…so we will be giving bags with school supplies in them as well as gift certificates that are specifically for [the Public School System] and PSS will hand those out,” he added.

Gersonde said that the partnership between the association and the foundation has proven to be successful before that’s why they decided to band together again to help the children who remain at the shelter three months post Yutu.

“The more the merrier…. she’s been doing great work. This is not the first time we partnered with her…we did the Ayuda Luta as well,” he said.

According to one of the Kagman shelter staff, about 22 families still remain at the shelter.

Jackie Quitugua, PSS Office of Curriculum and Instructional Services associate commissioner, said that PSS is grateful that associations and foundations continue to think about the well-being of the students.

“We are graciously thankful for the gesture of giving for our children. We’re just so happy that the thoughts for our children continues and of course recovery takes time and it just mean so much because we know giving from the heart is very precious and we’re grateful for that. So to all our continued donors, and benefactors, we are very thankful,” she said.

Quitugua added that PSS values the relationship between them and their donors and benefactors.

“We continue to collaborate and partner with many people and especially making sure that our relationships are true and it’s there with the many things we do and provide for our children. Relationships really matter and we want to continue these very healthy, awesome, and amazing relationships and partnerships,” she said.