Although Hamilton is planning to visit ECC herself while on vacation this

coming July, she has bigger plans for the school and the children.

"If I can generate the funding again, I'd like to take a team back

this fall," she said. "We all fell in love with the kids. The

bigger kids often scoop up the littlest ones who can't walk, and carry

them outside at playtime, or when there are activities upstairs. The love

these children have for each other and their teachers is so incredibly

heart warming.� With all the violence and hatred and horror swirling around

us, it is an oasis of hope to see them struggle and learn and experience

the joy of 'getting it.'"

Having just shipped a walker to ECC for five-year-old cerebral palsy patient

Saveion, Hamilton has obtained a pair of communication switches for another

boy with cerebral palsy who cannot verbalize otherwise, and some workbooks

and teaching materials from a program called Handwriting Without Tears.

Hamilton will be taking these materials with her in July. Still, she says

there is a lot more work to do.

"They've recently built a new annex to their building which will

hold a workshop for vocational training," she said. "The island

of Abaco does not have a college or even a vocational/technical school;

high school is it. These special-needs students will benefit greatly from

learning hands-on skills with hand-tools, learning wiring, cooking, construction,

etc. These are skills that they can use to make their way in the world

when they leave the shelter of ECC."

Major realized there was a need for this type of facility on the island

partly because there are no physical therapists or medical facilities to

speak of on the island, just a few private practice doctors. Any medical

care needed by the residents must be done in Nassau (on the neighboring

island of New Providence, about 100 miles south), or perhaps in Florida

if the resident can afford to get there.

"My hope is that I can continue to build the momentum so that we

can get the specialists over there several times a year to help train the

teachers, families and volunteers how to best help these children," said

Hamilton. "The fact that the school is funded entirely by donations

means that they have no budget to hire in outside help.

"There are so many causes I feel strongly about, yet are so large

in scope that I feel I can't make a difference. This is one place where

I know I can make a difference. Thirty to 35 kids, four teachers, and a

three-room school house ... I can have an impact on that!"

Hamilton adds that monetary donations would be very welcome, as the school

has very limited funds to buy things like wheelchairs, walkers, assistive

devices, and various tools to enable the children to learn effectively.

For more information, please contact Hamilton at 770-961-3668 or [email protected] .