Friends of Luke Therrien makes $5m donation towards Mt Alvernia’s auditorium

WESTERN BUREAU:

Montego Bay’s Mount Alvernia High School, which is celebrating its centennial year, yesterday received a generous $5-million donation towards the refurbishing of its auditorium from a group called The Friends of Luke Organisation.

The donation forms part of the ongoing tributes to the memory of the late Luke Therrien, a past student of the Junior Plus School in Montego Bay, who was a former tennis star who trained at Jamaica’s Russell Tennis Academy.

The Friends of Luke group, which is made of Luke’s parents Ray Therrien and Anne Chang and brother Jake Therrien, were present for the occasion, and participate in the handover ceremony, which took place at the school on Tuesday. Representatives from American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), who also contributed to the donation, were also present.

Speaking with The Gleaner following the ceremony, Ray Therrien said the occasion was particularly noteworthy for his family, who are longstanding residents of Montego Bay in St James.

“It is obviously a difficult time, in dealing with the loss of a child, but it is always something where you want to have persons remembered,” said Therrien, whose son was only 22 years old when he died. “Luke and our family are a very big part of this community, and we are so happy to see that we all rallied around this amazing celebration for Mt Alvernia and Chetwood.

“We stress education on a daily basis, and this is something that we want to support, and I am hoping we can continue having more donations and that we can reach this $100-million goal for the centennial celebration,” Therrien continued, citing the monetary goal the organisers of the celebrations have targeted.

TARGET EXCEEDED

Joanne Robertson, the founder of the Friends of Luke, recalled that the group’s donation, which exceeded its initial target of J$1 million, was inspired by a message from Roman Catholic Deacon Baldwin Powell concerning the centennial celebration.

“Deacon Baldwin was telling the congregation of time passing, 100 years in fact, but this time the cause was for celebration, and that was the spark we needed to turn our sorrow and grief into purpose,” said Robertson. “We started as a small group with the goal of raising $1 million, and our group has grown into a spirited community of friends that knew Luke and which has raised $5 million.”

“It marks the five-year milestone of missing Luke, and the $5 million will be contributed to Mt Alvernia to mark the milestone of 100 years as a bedrock in this community,” she added.

In reacting to the donation from the Friends of Luke, Mt Alvernia High Principal Kayon Whyne said the refurbishing of the school’s auditorium would also benefit Mt Alvernia Prep and Chetwood Primary, which were founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany in 1925 alongside Mt Alvernia High.

“I am elated, I am excited, and this is an awe-inspiring moment for Mt Alvernia High. It is a huge contribution, a big gift, and it will be utilised appropriately to refurbish our auditorium, which is a well-needed refurbishment for our students, our staff, and our neighbouring schools, who are also celebrating 100 years in existence,” said Whyne.

“It is hoped that we can further add value to this $5 million to provide air conditioning, ceiling refurbishment, flooring, and other aesthetics to the auditorium that are necessary at this point to suit our learning communities. Chetwood Primary and Mt Alvernia Prep can use the auditorium whenever they need its use, and this auditorium is the biggest space with a covering that can be used for all our students in this learning community,” Whyne explained.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com