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“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”
- Frederick Douglass
OUR STORY
The Alice Wyre Education Foundation is dedicated to the late Alice Wyre, a life-long educator and humanitarian. Alice Wyre was born in 1943 in the economically disadvantaged community of Sandy Point, St. Kitts, West Indies. Despite the challenges she faced as a result of her socio-economic status, Alice Wyre loved to learn and she excelled in school. When she migrated to the United States, she got married and began volunteering at the local early childhood head start program that her children attended. Her love for learning continued to burn inside her and she continued her education, earning a Master’s Degree from Fordham University. Within a few short years of volunteering at the early childhood headstart program, Alice Wyre became the director, supervising the very same people she supported as a volunteer! That is how driven she was.
Education was life for Alice, but helping those in need was also her passion and her duty. As someone who came from meager beginnings, Alice never forgot where she came from. She traveled extensively and her kindness spanned across the globe–from the U.S. to Barbados, to Nigeria and beyond. Alice would gather her friends, get donations of clothing and household goods, purchase several shipping barrels and send them overseas to those who needed it most. Her home was often full of used goods, waiting to be sent to very appreciative recipients! But to everyone's surprise, on March 31, 2022, at the age of 78, Alice Wyre's heart stopped beating and she took her last breath. The loss was devastating…but we all knew what she would want us to do-- continue her work. Thus, the AWE Foundation was born! We will work tirelessly to provide access to quality education and promote literacy across the globe, just the way Alice Wyre would want us to. The cost of illiteracy is great, and negatively impacts all of us in the longrun. Equity, access, opportunity. It is all any child needs to succeed.
Our Mission
The ALICE WYRE EDUCATION FOUNDATION strives to raise funds for marginalized and underprivileged youth around the world.
The AWE Foundation will:
Provide scholarships for high school students to supplement the cost of attending college in the U.S. and globally
Provide technology, school supplies, uniforms, books and equipment for educational support
Provide mentoring services and the tools to practice good mental health and wellness
Raise awareness and reduce opportunity gaps in education across the globe
The Legacy of Alice Wyre
Alice Wyre was the only girl in her family and as a child, she would often play school with her 3 brothers. They would run from her whenever she went into “Teacher” mode! Alice remained at the top of her class for many years. However, to her family’s disappointment, she became pregnant as a teenager and they thought their dreams for her success were over.
Soon, she had an opportunity to travel to NY and reside with a family member. It was there where she met and married U.S. Army Private and Kittician, Raymond Wyre and eventually Alice became a U.S. citizen. Alice had more children and became a housewife, but her love for learning never died. When she later found herself as a single parent, fighting for her survival, she resorted back to her first love, teaching and learning. She started volunteering at the Trabajamos Head Start Day Care Center in the Bronx, New York where her 2 youngest children attended. Alice was so driven that within a few years, she enrolled in college and went from Volunteer to Assistant Teacher, to Head Teacher, to Program Director of Trabajamos Head Start-- but she did not stop there! She continued her education, earning a Master’s Degree from Fordham University.
Alice eventually left her beloved position at Trabajamos Head Start Day Care to become a 3rd-grade public school teacher at P.S. 151 in Brooklyn, NY. She absolutely loved her students and talked about them all the time. It was her pleasure to serve them for 20 years before she finally retired. Throughout her career, Alice received many accolades and awards and was even recognized in the New York Daily News as a "Master Teacher".
After retirement, Alice continued her journey of teaching and learning at the Hillside Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She was a lifelong learner of the bible and was excited to share what she learned with everyone who would listen. Education was what saved Alice and gave her purpose and helping those who were less fortunate became her duty.
We will forever be in AWE of the way Alice Wyre used her love for education to turn her life around. She knew education would not only feed her soul, it was the key to financial freedom for her and her children. She always knew knowledge was the one thing no one could ever take away from her!
