The Mary Louis Academy’s (TMLA) Black Student Union, formerly known as the African Heritage and Caribbean Culture Club (BSU/AHCC), launched a fundraising campaign in response to Hurricane Melissa, which hit the Caribbean country of Jamaica the hardest on Oct. 28.
As part of this campaign, TMLA high school seniors and BSU/AHCC members Mahlania Flores and Morgan McEachern said the BSU/AHCC wanted to create a mini-documentary to help bring awareness to the hurricane and the damage it caused.
“We also wanted our community to understand the severity of what happened, so we reached out to Jamaican staff and students — people with close ties to Jamaica,” Flores said. “We first spoke to a junior whose grandfather’s house had been impacted; she told us the whole roof was gone and how difficult it was for them to move around or even manage basic needs.”
They then spoke to Howard Holness, facilities director, and Dameon Gordon, facilities associate at TMLA, as they wanted familiar faces who could represent the cause to speak on it, because they understood what was happening in Jamaica and could speak to it authentically.
“We were able to use footage from Gordon, who had visited Jamaica to help his mother,” Flores said. “He shared videos showing the impact on his community and the people he knew (in Black River). We paired that with insight from Howard and commentary from one of our classmates, Malia Mangaroo, whose cousins lost their roof and can no longer attend school. Including her perspective helped students our age imagine themselves in that situation.”
To those who watch it, McEachern wants people to have an impactful experience and really feel what is happening. “I want them to understand that this is serious, that people’s lives are being affected, and that they need help. Now is not the time to be selfish,” McEachern stated.
For this school year, TMLA collections began on Nov. 24, 2025, and they end on Dec. 19, 2025. As of last week, the BSU/AHCC has raised over $7,500. Official distribution in Jamaica of items collected by the group is scheduled to occur in February of next year.
Both Holness and Gordon were raised in St. Elizabeth Parish and they will escort the goods to Black River, partnering with local Anglican churches, which are identifying families and local schools most in need of them.
Flores hopes the campaign will help Jamaican families long term by giving them a starting point to rebuild their communities.
“Whether the donations are small or large, everyone who contributes is helping,” Flores explained. “Our goal is to help reform and rebuild, which connects back to TMLA’s mission of helping the dear neighbor and working in unity. Our school came together to support an entire country.”
Discussing how she’d want this project to be part of her legacy, either personally or on behalf of the BSU/AHCC, Flores thinks the mini-documentary really opened eyes and changed hearts.
“This wasn’t just a typical fundraiser where you dress down for a week; it was tied to a meaningful cause,” Flores said. “Knowing that people can help restore what was lost or bring back a sense of comfort and safety for others — that contributes to our legacy.”
