Blanket donation strengthens the relationship between the inspiring Gillitts Primary School and local brokerage Cooke Fuller.
The Gillitts Primary School, nestled in the picturesque and tranquil Stockville Valley, is an institution with which we at Cooke Fuller have been proudly associated for the past 10 years. During this time, we have watched in awe as this modest school, charged with the responsibility of educating 430 underprivileged children, has been transformed into a school of excellence.
The school’s incredible turnaround has been championed by its principal, Mrs A Jadoo. Mrs Jadoo was appointed as acting principal in 2011 – a time when the school wasn’t fenced, when most of its windows were broken, and when a lack of basic facilities, coupled with negative publicity, led to service delivery protests and understandably low staff morale. Since then, Mrs Jadoo has worked tirelessly to overcome the numerous and serious challenges facing the school that accommodates learners from Stockville Valley as well as the nearby townships Molweni, KwaNyuswa, Embo, Nqetho, and Shongweni – to name a few.
Mrs Jadoo is supported by her team of 15 educators who, due to their relatively small number when compared to the number of learners, are involved in almost every aspect of the school’s functionality. They accept their arduous workloads willingly and with a deep sense of professional camaraderie. The results of their efforts include the school’s 100% pass rate, and its award of “Top Performing School in the Circuit” by the Minister of Education in 2019.
The management and staff at Cooke Fuller have been privileged to play a role, albeit relatively minor, in the transformation of Gillitts Primary. Supporting the school through the sponsorship of its computer room, a Jojo Tank, shade umbrellas, and classroom chairs, and thereby helping a school that has done so much to help itself, has been a worthwhile and enriching experience for our company that, 40 years ago, had its own humble beginning.
Today, a multi-faceted brokerage serving over 6 000 clients in all aspects of insurance and financial planning, we’re proud of our independence and our ability to adhere strictly to our set of values that are reflected and summarised in our pay-off line “we look after you”.
This year’s winter has got off to a chilly start. The hardships brought about by the cold weather will undoubtedly be exacerbated by the additional hardships caused by Covid-19’s effect on our economy. For these reasons Colleen Saunders, a director, and a long-serving member of the Cooke Fuller team, who has spear-headed our CSR initiative with Gillitts Primary since the initiative began, recognised the need to provide blankets for the learners and appealed to her fellow directors for assistance.
We agreed wholeheartedly with Colleen’s suggestion, which was supported by the notion that, despite all the will in the world, a young learner is going to struggle to concentrate in class if the discomforts of winter prevented them from sleeping the night before. We acquired blankets from a supplier in Johannesburg and, with the assistance of additional personal donations by our staff as well as the generosity of Anthony Gerber of Farmboy Towing, who assisted with the delivery of over a ton of quality blankets, are confident that the students of Gillitts Primary will sleep well no matter how harsh the winter ahead may prove to be.
The management and staff at Cooke Fuller congratulate Mrs Jadoo and her team on their outstanding work, including their ongoing ability to raise funds from willing sponsors who always take comfort in the fact that their donations are used responsibly and in the best interest of the young learners. We look forward to our continued relationship with Gillitts Primary – an immaculately and cheerfully maintained institution, as dynamic as it is modest, and one that echoes our commitment to the industry we serve, as well as our community.
Story by director Adrian Fuller, pictures by Rogan Ward.
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