Category: Jamaica

Transformational Leadership Through God Can Bring About Vision 2030

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Transformation among leadership ranks is the primary focus of the 37th National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) to be staged at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on Thursday, January 19.

The purpose of the NLPB is to foster greater unity in the nation, particularly among the nation’s leaders at all levels.

In keeping with national protocol, the list of invited guests is headed by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen and includes Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Leader of the Opposition Portia Simpson Miller.

God-Empowered Intervention

At a press briefing yesterday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel to officially launch the event and commence prayer week the Rev Stevenson Samuels, chairman of the NLPB Committee, spoke of transformation brought about by God-empowered intervention.

“In the process of the NLPB, we trust that we will contribute to our leaders experiencing transformation, a transformation that will impact core values for the betterment of all,” Samuels said.

He added: “We feel that for Jamaica to grow, for Jamaica to progress and experience true prosperity, there has to be transformation. That transformation must begin at the top, at the head of the stream, at the helm of our society. Transformational leadership is what is required to take us to the next level. Jamaica, as it is, cannot experience the growth and development that we all long for. If we are going to see this nation rise to new altitudes, we must change and challenge both Church and State to do that change.”

syranno.baines@gleanerjm.com

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20170113/transformational-leadership-through-god-can-bring-about-vision-2030

Food For The Poor Brings Joy To Golden Agers

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Executive Director of Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica David Mair (right), feeds a resident of the Golden Age Home during the Christmas Treat hosted by his charity organisation recently. Sharing in the moment is Mishka Townsend-Brown, assistant general manager, Golden Age Home. Approximately 150 residents were fed and treated with care packages by FFP Jamaica. The treat for the elderly at the Golden Age Home was one of several treats held by FFP Jamaica to commemorate the festive Christmas season last year.

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Residents of the Golden Age Home enjoy their lunch provided by members of Food For The Poor during their annual Christmas Treat.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170112/food-poor-brings-joy-golden-agers

Twins Excelling Despite Difficulties

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Despite being diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Cognitive Impairment, exceptional twin sisters Shantoi and Samoi Miller, all of seven years old, are outstanding and inspiring students and the celebrated shining stars at the Early Stimulation Programme (ESP) Centre of Excellence.

At this young age, the two girls have faced severe odds, overcome several major health and development obstacles, and are now beacons of hope, showing the value of the early stimulation in the lives of children with special needs.

Enrolled at the stimulation centre over the last three years, their teachers Aunties Melissa Robinson and Norma-Jean Powell quickly realised that the girls needed extra attention to develop their skills and talents.

Issues such as forgetting letters and numerals, not being able to keep up in class, and refusing to eat plagued the girls’ development.

But help was on the way, as Digicel Foundation stepped in and provided critical funding under a programme designed to assist children like Shantoi and Samoi.

The poundation, having assisted some 34,000 persons with special needs since its inception, saw the Early Stimulation Programme as a right fit for the organisation’s input.

The school was able to move into a newly renovated environment with additional tools for intervention. The teachers were more motivated to deliver better results for each child, and the twin girls went from being shy and reserved to outspoken and ready to face new adventures.

Their excitement about going to school could not be contained and they developed a level of confidence that made them no longer worried about what people had to say about their special needs.

At the end of their programme, they were both chosen as valedictorians for their graduating class.

Digicel Foundation chairman Jean Lowrie-Chin, in celebrating the achievement of the twin girls, believes that there are many other children like Shantoi and Samoi who can benefit from the efforts of the organisation.

“It really warms my heart when we are able to help, and to see how lives can be changed because of our partnerships.” Lowrie-Chin said.

Shantoi and Samoi are inspiring classmates, parents, teachers and partners with their contagious warmth and can-do attitude towards life.

The ESP Centre of Excellence is among 45 special-needs projects benefitting from some US$11 million in funding from the Digicel Foundation.

http://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20170109/twins-excelling-despite-difficulties

Food for the Poor assists inmates to get early release

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More than 300 former inmates were able to spend Christmas at home with their families, thanks to generous donors of the international relief and development organisation Food For The Poor (FFTP).

For 18 years, the charity has secured the release of non-violent offenders in Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica by paying their accumulated fines at Christmas and at Easter.

Hundreds of the poor, including women, in the Caribbean and Latin America are imprisoned for minor offences because of their inability to pay their court fines, even though the amounts are minimal.

“These prisons can quickly become a black hole of despair, especially for someone locked up with murderers because they do not have the money to pay a fine for a minor offence,” said Robin Mahfood, president/CEO of FFTP.

“Words do not convey the gratitude we have for our loving donors and staff who have not lost faith in a segment of people who are often forgotten or written off as a lost cause,” said Mahfood.

In Jamaica, 21 non-violent prisoners were released from their cells. Four women were freed from the Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, four men from Richmond Park, one man from Tamarind Farm, two men from Tower Street, and 10 men from the St Catherine Adult Correctional Centre.

Among the released is a 63-year-old bus driver who was placed behind bars on December 1 for not wearing the required bus uniform.

He was faced with two options for the offence: pay a fine of $32,000, or spend 60 days in prison. He opted to be jailed because he could not afford the fine.

“I have a daughter attending university, and college expenses are quite costly, but I want to give her a better life. This is why I didn’t have the funds to pay the fine,” he said.

“It has been hard in prison, especially when you think about not having the freedom you are used to. Being on lockdown is not easy.”

When the man found out that FFTP had paid his outstanding fine for his early release, he said, “I feel good! I didn’t have it to pay, and to know that people who don’t know me would just do this for me, it makes me feel really good inside.”

Immediately upon release from the different prisons, the former inmates were each greeted by FFTP staff who provided them with food, supplies and offered words of encouragement.

http://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20161228/food-poor-assists-inmates-get-early-release

‘Sub-Zero’ Boosted By Win In Barbados

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A persistent two-fisted body attack, was the tactic used by Ramel ‘Sub Zero’ Lewis last Friday night, at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in St. Michael, Barbados, to earn himself a split decision verdict in his six-round junior middleweight bout against Barbadian Christopher ‘Shaka’ Henry.

Two judges voted 59-56 each for Lewis, while the other judge voted 58-56 for Henry. This was the main event on a six-bout, Pro-Am Card. In one of the three amateur contests, Jamaica’s Felice Groves lost on points to Barbadian Mary Frazer, in a bout in which she should have been declared the winner by tko in the first round.

The Lewis versus Henry contest was a bruising, action-packed affair from start to finish. Henry, who is 6 feet tall, had a distinct reach advantage over the 5′ 5″ Lewis, and tried to use the jab as his main weapon. Lewis caught on to this quickly, however, and kept boring in successfully. His body shots rattled Henry, who although outgunned, had a few moments of glory himself. Lewis told The Gleaner that Henry was particularly decisive in the fifth round.

“He came on strong in the fifth and caught me with some really good shots, but I was able to hang in there, and then come back strong in the final round,” Lewis said. “It was a good hard fight, and I had to work hard to beat Shaka, who had the crowd behind him all the way, and this assisted him.”

Lewis added that he was happy for the victory and that it will boost his confidence going into 2017.

Groves met Mary Frazer in a four- round amateur bout, and started aggressively. A recording of the bout showed that within the first 30 seconds of the contest, she was all over Frazer, and caught her with a solid right to the chin that floored her. Frazer landed on her back with legs in the air, but got to her feet as the referee reached the count of two. She stumbled back, however, and was falling to the canvas again, when she was caught by the referee and taken to a neutral corner.

He then spoke with her for about 30 seconds, while she recovered. Instead of awarding the bout to Groves, the referee inexplicably signalled that it be resumed. Frazer survived the remainder of the round, regained her composure in the second round, made it a close contest thereafter and was eventually awarded a points victory.

Coach Carl Grant, who accompanied the boxers to Barbados, told The Gleaner that there was no doubt in his mind that the referee blundered, and that Groves clearly won the bout in the first round.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170104/sub-zero-boosted-win-barbados

Digicel Foundation Appoints New CEO

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The Digicel Foundation has appointed Dane Richardson as its new chief executive officer, following the recent resignation of Samantha Chantrelle.

Richardson is now responsible for taking the organisation to the next level and building on the solid momentum achieved under the leadership of Chantrelle who resigned from the position late last year.

Oversight and management of a US$3+ million annual budget ­– focused on education through improvement in literacy and (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) STEM; the development of the special needs sector; and community development/social entrepreneurship.

Richardson joined the foundation as programme manager for education in 2013 and was later promoted to head of programmes. Richardson assumes the new role from his position as director of operations.

Over the years, he has developed a reputation for strong people, project and resource management. With more than 10 years of experience in the social development sector in Jamaica, Richardson has served the public and private sectors in addition to civil society.

The 33-year-old has contributed significantly to the growth of Digicel Foundation, leading the implementation of a three-year strategic plan.

“The foundation has given me a tremendous platform to challenge myself in ways I never did before. Stepping up to the helm is both an honour and a charge,” Richardson stated in a release from the organisation. “The needs in Jamaica are great and varied. What is clear is that all my efforts must remain focused on how to better serve those who are most in need.”

Richardson started his career at Digicel in 2001 but spent much of his time in managerial roles in secondary and tertiary level education, before joining Jamaica AIDS Support for Life as its programme development and grants manager. The Wolmer’s Boys’ graduate is described by his peers as a dynamic and innovative team leader who has consistently displayed honourable work ethic.

“This is an exciting time for the foundation as Dane charts a road map for expanding our reach to touch more lives. I know that he will be a strong leader, with the passion to guide our foundation towards achieving more for our communities,” expressed Jean Lowrie-Chin, chairperson of the Digicel Foundation.

Last year, the Digicel Foundation invested more than $3 billion in communities islandwide, impacting over 580,000 Jamaicans since inception.

In the release, the Board acknowledged the “outstanding contributions” of previous CEOs Major General Robert Neish and Samantha Chantrelle.

Chantrelle was CEO of the foundation since November 2011, having previously worked as a project manager for the NCB Foundation. She holds an MSc in the Sociology of Develpment from the University of the West Indies, Mona, and a BA in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley in the United States.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business/Digicel-Foundation-appoints-new-CEO_85486

Dane Richardson Takes Reins At Digicel Foundation

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Leadership is an innate quality entrenched in the DNA of 33-year-old Dane Richardson, who officially took the reins as chief executive officer at Digicel Foundation on New Year’s Day.

Digicel Foundation is a non-profit organisation that distributes and utilises funds on a charitable basis for the sole purpose of building communities and community spirit in Jamaica.

Richardson will be tasked with advancing the goodwill organisation by adding to the legacy achieved by his predecessor, Samantha Chantrelle.

The Wolmerian joined the foundation in 2013 as programme manager for education and quickly climbed through the ranks to be promoted to head of programmes in 2015, and, subsequently, director of operations in 2016.

Before joining the foundation, he was programme development manager and grants manager at the Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, one of the largest health care agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean, addressing the socioeconomic challenges facing, and advocating for, Jamaicans living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, STIs, and intimate-partner violence.

In speaking with The Gleaner about his ascension to the helm of the foundation, Richardson said: “Happy would be an understatement. Deeply ecstatic better sums it up.”

He added: “Receiving such an opportunity to lead an organisation has been a lifelong aspiration. Having witnessed and learnt from many outstanding development specialists, I have always wanted a chance to make my own mark contributing to positive changes in my home country.”

Richardson’s appointment comes on the heels of the foundation being awarded the Non-profit Organisation of the Year by the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS).

Richardson contributed greatly to said recognition through procedural improve-ments and efficiencies, improved cost effectiveness, as well as increased scope in programme design and reach; his most noteworthy achievement being his leadership of the implementation of the foundation’s largest project with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) valued at J$600 million, which contributed to the achievement of the Ministry of Education’s goal of 85 per cent literacy in 2015 at the primary level.

SUITABLE PERSON

Krystal Tomlinson, public relations and engagement manager at Digicel Foundation, expressed that upon hearing the news from outgoing CEO Chantrelle, she wept joyfully.

“He’s the most suitable and deserving person. Dane knows the foundation inside out. We are coming out of a three-year strategic plan and he wasn’t just a part of it, but he led it from the jump. He’s inclusive and he encourages a sense of creativity. He allows you to challenge his own ideas, and that style of leadership is ideal.”

Neville Charlton, fellow CVSS awardee (young leader award) and public relations and engagement assistant at Digicel Foundation, echoed similar sentiments.

“Dane is an optimist and a go-getter. He’s not the conventional leader; he tries to get everyone’s opinion. He’s very passionate about anything he does,” he told The Gleaner.

Foundation Chairperson Jean Lowrie-Chin also expressed confidence that Richardson’s passion and leadership strength would propel the organisation towards achieving more for communities.

Richardson credits his immediate family for fostering his growth and development while citing his mother as a daily tower of strength and motivation.

In speaking to his vision for the foundation, the shrewd executive said: “It is important that I build on our solid 12-year history. The former CEOs have created a fantastic platform for creating more positive change in Jamaica. I see Digicel Foundation contributing to a sustainable Jamaica for all. Through a shared-value proposition, the foundation can deepen its efforts in tackling serious national issues through alignment with key government and non-government agencies to ensure investments are impactful and sustained.”

The end of 2016 saw more than

J$3 billion invested by the foundation in communities islandwide, impacting more than 580,000 Jamaicans since inception.

syranno.baines@gleanerjm.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170102/dane-richardson-takes-reins-digicel-foundation

‘Q Is The Key To Cash 4 Life’ – Enriching Lives For Christmas

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The lives of five lucky Jamaicans have been enriched this festive season, thanks to cash prizes they have won for the month of November in J. Wray & Nephew Limited’s ‘Q is the Key to Cash 4 Life’ competition.

Laffern Anderson, Kervin Bryson and Keisha Bennett were randomly selected as the first, second and third-place winners with cash prizes of $500,000, $250,000 and $150,000, respectively.

When 55-year-old Anderson, who had already won $10,000 in the competition, was informed that she won $500,000, she could not contain herself.

“I can’t even explain how mi feel. Mi really, really glad! I love to buy my white rum and drink it with Pepsi because it drink really good, so this just make me feel even better,” Anderson, who is from Highgate, St Mary, said with a laugh.

Anderson, a domestic worker, explained how timely the cash prize was in helping her to accomplish her goal of finishing the construction of her home.

“I am going to finish up mi house with the money. Mi a poor smaddy, enuh, so me house nuh done yet. Mi a go continue enter because me want to win in the finals come January also, because me have an operation on my eye, and that money woulda do me good,” she added.

Like Anderson, Bryson was over the moon when he was informed that he won $250,000. The 28-year-old who is from Trelawny and works in the construction business said: “I feel good about it. Mi glad mi did buy the flask of [Wray & Nephew] White Overproof Rum and entered.”

“I have not spent the money as yet. What I want to do is to build a one-room, but I have no land. I will try to make something out of it. Mi ah go put it to use,” he said.

Bennett, a nail technician from St Ann, said she has plans to invest the $150,000 she won.

Pietro Gramegna, marketing manager, J. Wray & Nephew Limited, said the company is happy to have enriched the lives of hundreds of Jamaicans with the competition.

WEEKLY CASH PRIZES

“This year we are happy to be providing 14 weeks of daily cash prizes of $10,000, mobile phone credit, and monthly cash prizes of $50,000, $100,000, $150,000, $250,000 and $500,000. In January 2017, there will be a grand prize draw for two persons to each win $1,000,000 per year for the next 10 years,” Gramegna said.

“Already, more than $5,000,000 has been won by entrants from the competition, with our first, second, third, fourth and fifth-place winners of $500,000, $250,000, $150,000, $100,000 and $50,000; 110 winners of $10,000, and 8,540 winners of $100 phone credit for the months of October and November,” he added.

The 14-week competition features dancehall’s Real Rich sensation Tanto Blacks and will award nearly $30 million in prize money between October 2016 and January 2017 to winning players who purchase ‘Qs’ (200 ml bottles) of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum, Charley’s JB Overproof Rum, Appleton Special or Campari, once they peel their labels, text the codes to the number provided and are selected.

Seniors Party At Christmas

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This Christmas is no ordinary season of merriment for the seniors. The festivities have already reached mega levels as many of them turned out in fine style for a soca party planned and hosted by the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP).

Well over one hundred members of the seniors’ organisation gathered on the rooftop of the Phoenix Central building at 2 Phoenix Avenue, St Andrew, recently for an evening of fun and frolic. The event was a huge success as members enjoyed dancing to soca music from the eighties and nineties, played by Sapphire Disco with selector Omar C. For supper, they had a delicious meal catered by Phoenix Central’s Cafe Nita.

It was a time of lively fellowship, and the seniors enjoyed the breathtaking view of Kingston from the rooftop.

Jean Lowrie-Chin, CCRP’s founder and executive chair, was quite pleased with the turnout. She said that based on the positive feedback from the members who attended the event, the soca party could well become CCRP’s signature Christmas event.

Although they came prepared for an evening of dining and dancing, the CCRP members also brought the spirit of giving as they all came with gift bags filled with items of toiletries to donate to the Golden Age Home.

It has been a custom of the organisation since its inception in 2010 that at its annual Christmas event members would bring gift items for donation to the Golden Age Home. The gifts have been presented to the home by members of the CCRP Caring Committee.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20161223/seniors-party-christmas

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Photo: Alia Atkinson pays courtesy call on GraceKennedy

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Jamaica’s swimming sensation and GraceKennedy Brand Ambassador Alia Atkinson has been occupied this festive season with visiting organisations that have supported her, and expressing her gratitude. Among these was GraceKennedy (GK) Group, whose headquarters she visited in downtown Kingston on Monday, December 19. There she spent quality time with Don Wehby, CEO, GraceKennedy Group, and the staff members. Here, as part of her visit, Wehby shows her a photograph he still cherishes which includes him, Atkinson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, another GK brand ambassador.