Soldier assists young people after reading STAR stories

Jamaica Defence Force staff sergeant Kaniel Cole, through funds donated by his social media followers, has offered assistance to two young people whose stories were featured in THE STAR.

One recipient, 21-year-old Roshae Darby, who is visually impaired, had reached out for assistance to cover the cost of transport to attend the Jamaica Society for the Blind in Kingston from her Clarendon home.

Darby, who is currently on route to being certified in information technology, was given J$10,000 along with groceries, and she expressed gratitude for the gesture.

"Kaniel gave me some food and I appreciate it and so I'm so glad because he saw my story and decided to reach out," said Darby. "It's helping me a lot because I use it to charter a car and pay my fare and I will use some for food." The military man, through his large following on social media platform Facebook, seeks donations from his followers to assist the needy.

BONE CANCER

The family of 14-year-old Tracy-Ann Ricketts, also received J$200,000 at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) last Thursday. The donation is to aid surgery to remove a growing tumour from Tracy-Ann's cheek. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, earlier this year.

Trace Ricketts, Tracy's father, told THE STAR that the he is very appreciative of the donation, as it has pushed them a step closer to the goal of covering the cost of surgery.

"We appreciate the donation from Mr Kaniel Cole. It really means a lot because we are at least further than where we started," said Trace. "I also want to thank all those who donated to make this possible so we can go and get her treated and moreover I want to thank God."

Last week, Cole made donations of groceries and money to six persons overall. He had previously assisted two other individuals who had reached out to the publication, seeking assistance from the public.

In early October, Cole managed to donate more than J$500,000 to teenager Raymond Campbell, who needed to undergo corrective scoliosis surgery, and J$100,000 to visually impaired single father Steve Buckige.

Cole had told THE STAR that his move towards doing charity was influenced by experiences he has had as a solider, such as seeing the ailments of the various persons under the care of the Mustard Seed communities.