Our Past Teams
JANUARY 2024 TAP TEAM
Like most of our trips, this team had a mix of returning and new team members. We offered IT support to Melody House and The Autism Center. Our Speech and Language Therapists met with several parents who have students at The Autism Center to offer support and recommendations for their children. They also provided some training and support to the staff. One of our team members is an energy healer and was able to offer her services to some of the girls and staff. We also had two teen boys on this team. Bringing teens is always refreshing as they chat with the girls at Melody house on a different level than the adults. We took the Melody House girls on a field trip to the Montego Bay Cultural Center and then out to dinner. This was extra special, as one of the girls is attending culinary school, and therefore she enjoyed this experience on a much deeper level.
august 2023 tap team
This was a unique team in that the focus was all about how we can support our partners: Melody House, Robin's Nest Children's Home and The Autism Center around Speech and Language skills. With three Speech and Language Pathologists and a grad student, our focus was on the their skillsets and what the could provide. We offered hearing tests to the kids and some of the staff, they met a couple of the children that have been receiving speech services from them via telehealth, and got to tour The Autism Center. Together we laid the groundwork for bringing more SLP's in future trips. In addition to this, we were able to spend some quality time with the girls at Melody House.
July 2023 TAP team
We were able to spend some great quality time with the girls at Melody House since they were on summer break from school. It was extra special as our team consisted of two teenage girls. Our time with the girls at Melody House consisted of making bracelets, painting pictures, playing games, painting nails, and an intense water balloon fight. We planned a fun evening out rollerskating with the girls, but unfortunately mother nature didn’t cooperate. The roller rink in Jamaica is outside. We made up for it by going out for some yummy ice cream. It wasn’t all play, as some work was also done while at Melody House. A room was cleaned out and organized to store the donated clothes, a roost was built in the chicken coop, several plumbing issues were fixed, an additional outside security light was installed, and many other small fix-it projects were taken care.
February 2023 TAP Team
Although our group was small, we were able to accomplish a fair amount of things. We worked well as a team and it was fun having a our scholarship recipient who enjoyed her first TAP trip. We were able to purchase and install the wall fans that we raised funds for during our November 2022 Giving Tuesday campaign. We had a great time with the girls at Melody House. We spent time sewing and playing games, enjoyed celebrating a few birthdays with the Jamaican tradition of flouring, and spent a day at the beach with them. Also while at Melody House, we worked on organizing supplies, plumbed a water tank, purchased homeschooling curriculum for a girl who’s behind in school, did some IT work on a few devices, and purchased the material to seal the roof in preparation for the new solar panels.
July 2022 tap Team
Our first trip with a team back to Jamaica after COVID. We were so excited to be back!!! Since the girls at Melody House were on summer break from school, we spent lots of time getting to know each other. We played games, had dance parties, sewed, and played on the slip-n-slide. One evening, we took the girls out to dinner and then roller skating. We were able to take the girls on a second excursion and spent a day at the beach with them relaxing in the water and attempting the giant floating obstacle course. We were also able to get a security camera installed at the front gate at Melody House along with a Wi-Fi extender to make sure the camera doesn’t have any issues.
February 2020 tap Team
Our team finished the slaughter room of the chicken coop, a finance class for the Melody House girls was offered, teaching them budgeting and financial planning skills. We also replenished enrichment bins that are geared towards games, arts and crafts and continued teaching sewing skills. These activities help with fine motor skill development and academics but in a more fun way. In addition to projects our team led self-care events with face masks for the girls and healing touch for both the kids and the staff. This was a unique opportunity for them to consent to experiencing physical touch in a healthy and safe way. Some smaller projects included: setting up Quickbooks with the staff at Melody House, installing new security lights, two new nurture swings, fresh coats of paint in the bath house, toilets were repaired, a safer stone path was put in to connect the home with the chicken coop. A special education volunteer spent time with two of the new girls at the home to assess academic level and set-up a homeschooling program while she waits to be assessed and placed in the Jamaica school system.
JulY 2019 TAP team
This team was small but accomplished many things. We hosted two American groups and one Jamaican group who helped us with many tasks. We painted the newly installed gate pillars. We installed new gate decor that was designed and made by a past team member to help guests find the children’s home. Nesting boxes were built for the chicken coop. We provided IT support around parental controls for the devices that are used by the children. For the second year in a row we canned the the mangoes that grow on the property and made jam.
May 2019 TAP Team
This hard working team trained girls to lead yoga, meditation and the Wilbarger brushing protocol. They made needed repairs to the chicken coop, hung security lights, repaired some of the toilets and replenished the enrichment bins we brought down in February. We brought down an iPad that was programmed to assist one of the girls in the home who is currently being homes schooled. We also brought her printed academic materials to support her education. We had the privilege of bringing the girls and the team on a field trip to go bowling. We hung two additional tire swings since the first one was so well liked by the children. We also supported the kids in celebrating Mother’s Day for the house mom’s.
February 2019 Week 2 TAP team
This team moved the existing solar system to the chicken coop to prepare for the expanded, upgraded solar system. They replaced rusted out light fixtures, they hung a tire swing. They provided occupational therapy to children and training to the staff who care for them. We removed 2 dump trucks worth of garbage from the property and our interior designer chose paint colors for the girls bedroom, and veranda. Dental hygiene education was provided. This team also supported teaching the girls basic sewing skills and taught them how to play the many enrichment activities they brought.
February 2019 Week 1 TAP team
The February team was our largest team on record! We were fortunate to tap into their variety of skills. Some members provided CPR/1st Aid training, while others offered free eye exams, or planted a garden- creating a long term plan for food security- and additional help focused on organizing the supplies while creating an anticipated needs list. At the Melody House- Montego Bay Community Home for Girls. We were able to set up a rotating enrichment program for the children to use that supports their development and academics. Provided dental hygiene educations, provided training from professionals around speech and language. Provided opportunities for staff to be cared for by providing healing touch sessions. We built shelving for better storage, tiled a room, and funded the construction of 2 new raised garden beds.
AUGUST 2018 TAP Team
The August team set the ground work for upcoming larger teams to come. We started the process of preserving the fruit that grows on the property. We investigated future projects for our teams members matching the skill set of our registered team members with the needs of the orphanages.
December 2018 TAP Team
The December team provided Melody House staff and board member photos, research for creating a sustainable garden, began the security and gate project, chicken coop project and assessed needs for the Melody House solar project.