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At Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann, students buzzed with excitement as uniformed NYPD officers -- many of them born and raised in Jamaica -- filed onto the school grounds carrying boxes of supplies and smiling like relatives returning home.

Students looked on happily as more than 100 officers brought not just donations, but inspiration.

Among them was Lieutenant Danae McFarlane, a commanding officer in the NYPD and president of the Jamaican American Law Enforcement Organization (JAMLEO), a fraternal group of NYPD officers of Jamaican descent.

"We're Jamaicans, whether born here or abroad, and we know the struggles students face," McFarlane told THE STAR.

"Our way of coming back is to ease that burden, so our students, the future of Jamaica, can focus on their education instead of financial hardship."

McFarlane, who immigrated from Jamaica to the Bronx at age 13, was moved by the day's reception.

"My passion stems from my own experience being a student here in Jamaica and knowing first-hand what it feels like to want to go to school and there is no financial support," she said.

"Being someone's answered prayer is what fuels me."

The officers donated school supplies, backpacks, notebooks, pens, crayons, and juices, along with a cheque valued at $1.2 million Jamaican dollars, which will benefit Grade 12 students moving on to Grade 13.

"They don't have to think about anything else," McFarlane added. "Just go to school and learn."

Workshops and "wrap sessions" were held throughout the day, with both students and officers engaging in small-group discussions about life, careers, and resilience.

"Everyone had an opportunity to engage. We learned from the students and the students learned from us," said McFarlane.

The initiative, now in its second year, previously served students at Mount Alvernia and Cornwall College in Montego Bay. This year, JAMLEO partnered with the Jamaica Nurses Group of New York, Power in Wellness Health Consulting, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force's Community Safety and Security Branch, led by SSP Daliah Garrick.

"Her group provided just the same with the wrap sessions and the small-group workshops, and we're really grateful for the partnership," said McFarlane.

She also expressed gratitude to Principal Dr Andrea Richards for welcoming the team.

"The school atmosphere is amazing. All the children inside that compound are excited to learn," she said.

JAMLEO, founded in Jamaica in 2020 and recognised by the NYPD in 2021, aims to continue this initiative each year, one parish at a time. St Ann was this year's chosen location. Westmoreland is next.

"There isn't a challenge coordinating between the US and Jamaica," McFarlane said. "If anything, we were welcomed home."

McFarlane added, "Walking away, there is no longer a divide. This is definitely a bridge between police and community, that you don't have to look too far to aspire."