Surprise party for Uncle Carlos

KINDNESS CREW: (L-R) Britney Woods, Rene Rampersad, Jurshelle Andrews, Chelsea Jacob and Tia-Marie Dellamore, students of Woodbrook Secondary School who hosted a “birthday party” on Tuesday for a homeless man regularly seen near their school. Photo by Roger Jacob
KINDNESS CREW: (L-R) Britney Woods, Rene Rampersad, Jurshelle Andrews, Chelsea Jacob and Tia-Marie Dellamore, students of Woodbrook Secondary School who hosted a “birthday party” on Tuesday for a homeless man regularly seen near their school. Photo by Roger Jacob

FIVE 13-year-old girls from Woodbrook Secondary School threw a surprise birthday party on Tuesday for a homeless man who frequently sits outside the school.

Jurshelle Andrews, Chelsea Jacob, Rene Rampersad, Britney Woods and Tia-Marie Dellamore didn’t think much of their act of kindness: they just wanted to make the elderly man, whom they call Uncle Carlos, smile.

Andrews said, “I talk to him on a regular basis. One day last week I was coming from Rituals. He told me Tuesday was his birthday, so I got together with my friends to plan the party.”

The students, who are all in the same form two class, often lime together in the morning as they usually arrive early at school on French Street, Woodbrook. Andrews told her friends about Carlos’ upcoming birthday and they planned the party together.

Jacob, whose five-year-old sister had a party over the weekend, brought leftover cake and party bags. Dellamore pitched in some money to buy more snacks for Carlos.

On Tuesday, the girls had a free supervised period, so they asked their teacher if they could go across the road to Massy Stores where Carlos sat.

The girls sang Carlos “Happy Birthday” as they handed him chocolate cake. Carlos clapped after they sang, and told them he was 66. “Uncle Carlos always says, ‘Good morning, Woodbrook,’ and asks us how our day was. When he talks to me he brings a smile to my face, so I was returning the favour,” Andrews said. The spirit of generosity and charity is not unusual among Woodbrook Secondary students.

Acting principal Wendell Pujadas said he is not surprised that his students were so kind, as the foundation of the school’s value system is based on respect, integrity, caring, honesty and fair play.

“We are very proud of this innocent and civic-minded act of kindness. In a society like Trinidad, where we are void of empathy and compassion, it’s great to see our students are so kind,” Pujadas said.

The girls hope to continue helping people in their careers. Andrews wants to be an architect and build homes in Africa so no one there will ever be homeless. Jacob wants to be a doctor and travel the world as a cheerleader so she can help people. Rampersad and Woods also want to be doctors, and Dellamore wants to be a successful businesswoman so she can build hospitals and homes in Haiti.

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