Fifteen-year-old Samantha Pryce crossed the finishing line in 20 minutes and nine seconds to become one of the youngest winners of the Digicel 5K Run for Special Needs last Saturday night in downtown Kingston.

Pryce, a 3000m and 2000m steeplechase athlete of Holmwood Technical High in Manchester, was determined to take the top prize this year.

“I came in third last year, so I was determined to win this time. I had it in mind to win before the race even started, and I did,” she said.

Llori Sharpe and Kazue Yamazoe were second and third, respectively, in the female run category.

Twenty-year-old Garfield Gordon of G C Foster College was the overall winner of the annual event. He used the Digicel 5K as an opportunity to train for the upcoming athletics season with a strong finish at 16 minutes and six seconds. Gordon was followed by Aryamanya Rodgers and 2017 Digicel 5K winner Oshane Archibald.

“I stayed with the pace then took the lead after they started going too slowly,” a confident Gordon shared. He added: “I won the Digicel 5K in 2015, so I just came back to win this year.”

The walk races were dominated by Duwell Harris in 27.30 and Anna-Kay Swaby in 33.40.

For the fourth year, Paralympian and Digicel Ambassador Alphanso Cunningham finished first for the male wheelers in 23.26, while 50-year-old Vinette Green was the fastest female wheeler in 32.29.

Touted as Digicel’s most successful 5K event yet, over 12,000 participants signed up for the event, making the gathering at the Digicel headquarters along the Kingston Waterfront the biggest ever.

“We are delighted and grateful for the overwhelming show of support for this fantastic community event that more people look forward to supporting every year. And getting more support puts us in a better position to do more towards improving the welfare of our Special Needs community,” said Karlene Dawson, CEO of the Digicel Foundation.

Seven special needs organisations will benefit from 100 per cent of the proceeds raised from the 2018 staging. They are Jamaica Autism Support Association, Jamaica Association on Intellectual Disabilities, Early Stimulation Programme, Community Based Rehabilitation Programme, Jamaica Society for the Blind, Promise Learning Centre, and Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation.

“Our 5K is fun, that’s for sure, but it’s also for a great cause. It was so heart-warming to see participants of all backgrounds and abilities come together in support of our Special Needs community. Thanks to all our sponsors, donor partners and participants. We are already looking forward to your support in 2019,” Dawson added.

Source: Observer on Saturday, October 13, 2018

Five charities were each presented with a sum of $610,000 by the Kingston City Run organisers from the proceeds of the sixth staging of the road races in March.
The presentation of the cheques to the five charities was made by Nicola Madden-Greig, co-chair and co-founder of the Kingston City Run Organising Committee, and president of the Jamaica Hotel Tourist Association (JHTA), and Christopher Jarrett, co-chair of the Kingston City Run Organising Committee/JHTA Kingston Chapter chairman, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on Thursday.
The charities, who have been receiving the assistance from the Kingston City Run since its inception in 2013, were the Alpha Institute (formerly Alpha Boys’ School), Marie Atkins Night Shelter, Food For The Poor, Missionaries of the Poor, and the Open Arms Development Centre.
Maurice Bryan, sales manager for the Courtleigh Hotel, said the Kingston City Run has so far donated some $15 million over the six years of the event to assist these charities.
“Over 5,000 people participated in the three events, the half marathon, 10K and 5K on March 18; and it was very successful, as the more it grows every year, Kingston City Run will be able to contribute more to the charities,” Bryan said.
He said next year will be much bigger and better with many participants from all over the world gracing the city of Kingston events.
Meanwhile, Madden-Greig said she was delighted to announce the seventh staging of the Kingston City Run.
“It is fitting that we are here today on World Obesity Day, and even more fitting that the previous Day was World Mental Health day. Kingston City Run has and will continue to focus the proceeds of this event towards supporting the homeless and vulnerable through partner charities,” Madden-Greig said.
“This is a cause that continues to receive little attention and the event will focus on raising awareness, engaging our participants to donate to these charities and provide a platform for assistance with rehabilitation efforts,” she added.
According to her, there are several reasons that contribute to individuals becoming homeless, and these include, but are not limited to, economic challenges, crime and violence, other health issues, family challenges, eviction, drug abuse, general poverty, and unemployment.
She said another major contributor is mental health issues, and this year they plan to also channel funds specifically towards mental health.
Joshua Chamberlain, general manager of Alpha Boys’ School Radio Station, on behalf of the charities thanked the Kingston City Run sponsors and the general public who participated in the event.

Reproduced from the Jamaica Observer on Saturday, October 13, 2018.

The Guardsman Group of Companies has reaffirmed its commitment to the empowerment of Jamaica’s youth by providing support and opportunities through proceeds from the Guardsman Games, held at the Hope Zoo, St Andrew, in July.

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF)/Boys of Hope programme, the Kind Hearts Basic School Initiative, and the Bustamante Hospital for Children are the recent beneficiaries. According to Vinay Walia, group managing director, the selection of the three entities was a reflection of the organisation’s thrust to invest in the lives of the youth in order to secure Jamaica’s future.

However, the Jamaica Defence Force/Boys of Hope programme, a partnership for at-risk youth involving the Guardsman Group, Hope Zoo, the JDF and the private sector under the auspices of the Guardsman Foundation, is of paramount importance for the organisation.

“We cannot do too much to rescue the young boys of Jamaica, who have so many challenges, many of whom are growing up in dire circumstances,” Walia said.

“This is the second year of our Boys of Hope initiative. This year, partners will work in three tranches with boys in the juvenile justice system for periods of three weeks per cohort. They will engage with one group of 17 to 25 boys during the Christmas and Easter vacations, and with three groups during the longer summer vacation,” he said.

“The boys are ages 10 to 16 years. We believe this is a particularly vulnerable age, when they are easily swayed by negative influences,” explained Lt Commander Overton, group director of the Guardsman Group.

“They are assigned to zookeepers. This not only teaches them environmental awareness, they also realise that the animals are dependent on them and that they must take the responsibility to care for them,” he added.

He noted that some of the youngsters in last year’s programme have stayed on and taken up employment at Hope Zoo.

The Kind Hearts Basic School initiative will continue its focus on building schools in rural areas, while the Bustamante Hospital for Children will receive a further installation of solar panels with the proceeds from this year’s games

Source: The Gleaner

PHOTO: Gladstone Taylor

As part of its ongoing efforts to provide opportunities for underserved young people, IGT Jamaica has employed two young men from SOS Children’s Village in Stony Hill and a young lady from the Women’s Centre Foundation of Jamaica as paid interns at its Kingston head office.

All three are beneficiaries of IGT’s After-School Advantage (ASA) Programme, which provides digital learning centres to qualified non-profit community agencies and public schools. The ambitious students worked over the course of three months with the company. IGT, formerly GTECH, has been the online lottery technology provider to Supreme Ventures Limited since it began selling online draw games in 2001.

Human resources and administrative manager at IGT Jamaica Diane Walker noted that the outreach is an expansion of the company’s regular internship programme. One young man was employed in the finance department, where he learned how to make journal entries, check bank records, and perform other administrative functions. His younger colleague obtained hands-on experience working in the technical department on repairs to equipment and systems. The interns expressed interest in these specific areas during their interviews. They were rotated occasionally to other departments in order to be given a sense of how the company as a whole functions.

JOB PROCESS

The interns went through the full job application and selection process. “They put together and submitted their resumes and cover letters,” said Walker. The applicants were instructed in the correct demeanour and attire for their interviews. IGT Jamaica also assisted them with opening bank accounts to receive their pay. “This helped them understand the importance of saving and managing their money,” noted Walker.

The two residents of SOS Children’s Village said they learned some core values during their internship, including respect, good manners and teamwork. Both said that their internship was a “very good experience”. The technical department intern said that he also liked completing his work on time and expressed interest in continuing to work in this field in the future. “I enjoyed interacting with the team,” he added.

The young lady, who also benefited from IGT’s career development session earlier this year, in partnership with Dress For Success Jamaica, expressed her hopes of the programme helping her focus and obtain a clearer understanding of her career goals.

General Manager of IGT Jamaica Debbie Green said: “We have enjoyed having these promising young people. We seek to provide our interns with the best possible introduction to the world of work while encouraging them in their particular interests. This has been an enriching experience for them, which we hope will benefit them in the future.”

Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP), a non-governmental organisation that caters to people 50 years and over, last week held its annual Living Legacy Awards.

The four honorees were: Nurse Joy Crooks, founder of the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill; Dr Jean Small, educator and dramatist; Dr Glen Christian, entrepreneur and philanthropist; and Dr Owen James, physician, educator and occupational health and safety specialist.

Major sponsor Gary “Butch” Hendrickson, as well as Labour and Social Security Minister Shahine Robinson were guest speakers who applauded the recipients for their significant contribution to nation-building.

See publications in the Gleaner on Monday, October 8, 2018.

TOWARDS helping more adults with special needs acquire social skills, build healthy relationships and becoming independent, the Jamaica Association on Intellectual Disabilities (JAID) is already making plans from proceeds of the 2018 Digicel 5K for Special Needs.

“We are extremely happy that Digicel Foundation continues to support adults with special needs,” Christine Rodriguez, outgoing executive director of JAID, is quoted in a release.

With the $1 million in funding received from last year’s 5K Run, JAID was able to build its Adult Leadership Programme, a project designed to give participants the skills they need to reach their life goals and live up to their full potential, in preparation for integration with the wider society, the release said.

The programme is supported by JAID’s Adult Continuing Education Programme, which currently involves 15 students who specialise in textile art design. Additionally, JAID’s social enterprise project, Chupse, which involves making exquisite jewellery out of natural materials such as fish scales and coffee beans, is opening up business opportunities for other adults with special needs.

Rodriguez pointed out that it is not only acquiring skills that is important for adult Jamaicans with intellectual disabilities.

In stressing how important it is for them to acquire social skills, build healthy relationships and to become independent Jamaicans, the JAID chief said: “We aim to continue building these three programmes with funds from this year’s 5K. We are excited about how they are developing.”

JAID is among seven special-needs organisations that are looking forward to putting plans into action and boosting their programmes ahead of the seventh annual Digicel 5K Run for Special Needs.

Other organisations that will benefit this year include: Community Based Rehabilitation Centre, Early Stimulation Plus, Jamaica Autism Support Association, Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation, Jamaica Society for the Blind, and Promise Learning Centre.

Last year, five of these entities each received $1 million towards their ongoing programmes.

More than 13,000 participants are expected for the Digicel 5K Run for Special Needs, which will include ‘Fun Zones’ along the route and an after-party. Race time on Saturday, October 6, 2018 is 7:00 pm at the Digicel Headquarters, 14 Ocean Boulevard, downtown Kingston.

The release said all proceeds will go to organisations serving Jamaicans with special needs, with the aim of raising awareness and deepening Jamaicans’ understanding of the particular needs of this community.

The award he received from the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) was not a signal for Glen Christian to relax. The businessman and philanthropist has indicated that there will be a renewed focus on the redevelopment of Downtown, Kingston.

Christian was among four honourees who received the CCRP’s Living Legacy Awards at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge in St Andrew on Friday, September 28. The others were Joy Crooks, founder of the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI); Dr Owen James, family physician and philanthropist; and Dr Jean Small, educator, author and theatre practitioner.

Christian indicated that for the country to experience growth, there must be consistent and focused work on the development of cities, particularly Kingston.

Current Focus

“I have a focus now, and the focus that I have is to continue with early-childhood education, (also) to specialise right now in looking at the development of downtown Kingston. Downtown Kingston needs redevelopment and a group of us (friends) have agreed that we want to start with the development of downtown Kingston, beginning with the Coronation Market,” he said.

“We see the Coronation Market as the centrepiece for social and economic development, money changes hands. I’ve always said that if you want to kick-start Jamaica, we must kick-start the city of Kingston.”

In the meantime, Shahine Robinson, Minister of Labour and Social Security, commended the CCRP organisation, for taking the lead on honouring persons while they are alive. She said that it is imperative that persons make an effort to honour individuals especially, the elderly, when they are alive.

See original story posted in The Gleaner on Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

Gaming company, IGT, a local partner with Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) through their After School Advantage (ASA) programme, joined MSC in the launch of their recent 40th Anniversary celebration.

Here are the highlights.