Dadlie’s Trucking Service, Inc., a St. Thomas-based company, recently donated more than 800, fully stocked bookbags to students in the St. Thomas-St. John District as part of the company’s annual outreach and giveback to schools.
The bookbags, stocked with notebooks, loose-leaf paper, pencils, pens, and rulers, were delivered to the district’s elementary schools on April 7 and given to students attending in-person classes.
According to Jerae Forde, district school and community affairs director, while the company has traditionally done large, event-style giveaways and supported schools in other ways, “due to the coronavirus pandemic, they found a new way to give back” this year.
Hillary “Julie” Joseph, who operates the business with her husband and company owner, Dadlie Joseph, said of the company’s mantra, “God helps those who helps themselves and others.” She added, “It is a passion and a joy for me to see others happy.”
The first districtwide giveaway event Dadlie Trucking held was in 2018 and featured a fun day filled with food, games, music, and school supply giveaways for students and teachers. As a 1984 graduate of the Ivana Eudora Kean High School, Joseph understands the importance of giving back to her community and is thrilled to do so whenever she can.
Dadlie’s Trucking has been in business for more than 35 years, and Forde said, “whenever there is a need at one of the schools, they try to assist.” The company is planning another school-supplies giveaway before the start of the next school year.
Forde and Kisha Corbett, district technology coordinator, partnered with Joseph for this year’s bookbag giveaway.