Meet the founder

Racquel Knight – 31 years old -- grew up in a small, rural district in Portland, Jamaica, called Bellevue.

While attending primary and high school, she found it increasingly difficult to attain the comfort of a chair and desk each school day. Racquel and her schoolmates would spend thirty minutes or more trying to find a chair each day. If a chair had three legs, she would be forced to improvise; this she did by leaning against the wall and manipulating her bodyweight while sitting to avoid falling. In addition, she would use her backpack as seating many times.

Surprisingly, this problem still exists today, especially in the rural areas of Jamaica, where there is an increased need for chairs (furniture) in classrooms. Unfortunately, chairs are often broken or misplaced; therefore, students are sent home from school or struggle to participate during class sessions.

During her college years, Racquel began to reflect on her experience in Jamaica. Racquel Knight founded One Chair 4 One Child while a student at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she graduated with a degree in global citizenship in 2018. She is currently pursuing her MBA at Western Governor’s University. She registered the One Chair 4 One Child Project as a nonprofit in Massachusetts. One Chair 4 one Child is now known as For One Child Foundation Inc.

She is a member of Startup Worcester’s 2018-2019 cohorts, served on the advisory board of the Yunus Social Business Centre at Becker College, and is also a member of the Clinton Global Initiative University Class of 2018. In addition, she and scores of volunteers have made and delivered over 600 chairs and desks to 14 schools throughout Jamaica.