Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, April 17, 2023

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) has been supporting hundreds of worthy organisations for over 40 years. The board comprises our current and past US ambassadors to Jamaica and other well-wishers.

Their gala events are incomparable, the most recent of which was their Hummingbird Awards last month at which our star athlete Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and business leader Douglas Orane were honoured. Ambassador Sue Cobb said she had always had a high regard for Douglas Orane, but conversed with Fraser-Pryce for the first time at the event. She enthused, “I must say she is an extremely impressive person (beyond track) — a first-class representative of Jamaica.”

At the close of the annual AFJ grant cycle, 24 discretionary grant applications were approved by the AFJ Grants Committee and will be awarded during the upcoming Official Grant Ceremony hosted by Ambassador N Nick Perry in May. Discretionary grants combined with donor-direct grant awards and donations received on the AFJ’s online giving platform Choose A Cause are valued at US$503,744.47 ($76,351,340.33).

The beneficiaries include Bethel Baptist Church; Bloom Early Childhood Centre of Excellence; Bob and Rita Marley Foundation; Breds Treasure Beach Foundation; Bull Savannah Primary School; Busy Bee Educational Enrichment (BBEE); C B Facey Foundation; Chain Of Hope; Christel House; Church Teachers’ College; Eye Health Institute; Friends of Hopewell; HEART/NSTA Trust; Hope Zoo; INMED Caribbean; Institute of Jamaica; Issa Trust Foundation; Jamaica Cancer Society; Jamaica Conservation Partners; Jamaica Environmental Trust; Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC); Jamaica Trail Project; Jamaican Advantage Through Sports for Youth (JASY); Journey 2 Free; Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Kingston Creative; Mussons Foundation; Mustard Seed Communities; National Education Trust; ODEM Foundation; Pocket Rocket Foundation; Portland Arts and Vocational Education Centre; Project STAR; RISE Life Management Services; Rose Town Foundation; Seprod Foundation; Songs For Sound; Southern Basketball Conference; The University of the West Indies Scholarships (Ambassador Sue Cobb, Ambassador Gary Cooper, Ambassador Glen Holden), Ralph and Ricky Lauren Family Foundation, Kathleen and Mark Newman, Margaret “Peggy” Steuart); Violence Prevention Alliance; Wattle and Red Earth Collective; We Care For Cornwall Regional Hospital; Wolmer’s Safe Shelter Programme for Girls Fund; Wolmer’s Rebuilding Fund; and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, April 17, 2023

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

It was the week after Champs when our Digicel Foundation Team visited the Harbour View Primary School to open a fourth smart room to equip the children for this digital age. Yes, we were thrilled by the extraordinary performances at Champs, but we must also cheer them on to excel at technology and so be able to stay one step ahead of artificial intelligence (AI).

Digicel Foundation Chair, Jean Lowrie-Chin (second right, standing), interacts with students at the Harbour View Primary School during the opening of a smart room at the institution on Tuesday (April 4). The state-of-the-art facility was provided by the Foundation. Also sharing the moment are (from left, background) Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Ministry of Education and Youth, Dasmine Kennedy; Digicel Foundation Board Member, Heather Moyston and the school’s vice principal, Lavern Morgan. (Photo: JIS)

At the event, Dasmine Kennedy, Region One director at the Ministry of Education and Youth noted, “The impact on learning tends to be greater once the technology is incorporated in their learning paradigm … students’ learning actually increased with the use of modern equipment, technology, and tools. Students are able to maintain focus much longer on the teaching/learning activities and most of all the engagement and interactivity process tend to increase.”

“Studies have shown that teaching and learning, when aided by technology, allows for easy, convenient, and effective transfer of knowledge,” she shared. “In essence, the mind tends to work faster when assisted with the use of modern technology.”

Additionally, let us include the A for arts to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and call it STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics). Chat GPT can write a speech for you, but can it capture the beauty of those children at Harbour View Primary, their eyes shining with expectation? Can it capture the graciousness of the teachers and my colleagues at the Ministry of Education? As I did in my address, would it be able to draw a parallel between the Champs stadium and the digital stadium, where we want our children to flourish? Let us keep our love for the arts, even as we promote STEM. Then the genius of Claude McKay, Marcus Garvey, Louise “Miss Lou” Bennett and Bob Marley will inspire their critical thinking for personal mastery in this brave new world.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, April 17, 2023

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Ackeef Nugent meets Andrew Holness.

The words of young Ackeef Nugent rang out in Jamaica, and we hope they will touch the hearts of wrongdoers: “I would like to say a word to all the criminals and warring factions … not only in my community but all around Jamaica. Please, please to put down the gun and allow our young youths to grow in peace so we can make Jamaica to be the place to live, raise families, and do business. We are your next generation — teachers, doctors, lawyers, judges … please put down the gun, I am pleading to you guys!”

This is from a TVJ news report by Shemala Pullen about the 13-year-old’s community outreach in Cockburn Pen. The Excelsior High School student of humble means teaches the little ones and sometimes feeds them out of his lunch money. So moved was Prime Minister Andrew Holness that he invited Ackeef and family members to meet with him at his office and promised to support his project.

I posted an excerpt of the video on Twitter and it has made thousands of impressions. We should ensure that this young man is supported to the highest degree in his own educational pursuits as well as in his mentorship of the little ones. Who knows, one day he may be sitting in the prime minister’s chair, encouraging another good youth like himself.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer Column published Monday, April 17, 2023

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

With the exciting Carifta Games last weekend and Carnival activities over the past week, our lively Caribbean spirit is calling out to us.

Sure, we quarrelled over certain decisions during the Games, but that is what families do. Because of our linkages through The University of the West Indies and other tertiary institutions, we now have strong Caribbean extended families and fast friendships.

Savvy companies know that trading within the region brings the benefit of tax relief. My friend probably introduced Bridget Sandals to Trinidad because as far back as the 1990s, when she had to travel there on business, she would dedicate one large suitcase to those popular sandals and made some good bucks from selling them.

Sandals Resorts International was early off the mark as well, becoming the standard for all-inclusive excellence and still growing, employing thousands of Caribbean people and offering them solid training for growth opportunities. Such companies as CIBC First Caribbean International Bank, Marubeni, Sagicor, Digicel, Flow, Guardian Group, JMMB, Massy, Scotiabank, and International Game Technology (IGT) have dynamic presence. Their high-calibre Caribbean personnel holding their own in international business.

We scare each other with headlines about crime and violence, but when we turn to news further afield we realise that we are a relatively stable territory. Yes, Haiti is in urgent need of rescue from its out-of-control gangs, but the people can help their neighbours with their stunning artistic talents and craftsmanship. The gangs dominate reports, but little is said about the heroic, dignified Haitians who keep working, teaching, and nurturing each other. If we give up on Haiti, we would be depriving ourselves of one of the finest opportunities in the Caribbean.

International Game Technology (IGT), through its After School Advantage (ASA) Programme just wrapped up an all-male virtual empowerment session for young men in its ASA Centeres across the Caribbean. Several male IGT Executives and other partners shared inspiring stories about professional development and technological literacy with the young men.

Seen in the photos below are: the event’s Emcee and Sales Manager at IGT, Nicholas Spence; Private Barro D., from the Barbados Defense Force and former IGT ASA beneficiary, Darren Awai, Systems Administrator and Daniel de Dannes, Market Research Analyst both with IGT in Trinidad & Tobago.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, November 14, 2022

It has been a joy to see our daughter Anita grow into one of the most versatile managers of both our comms and real estate development businesses.  Besides that, she is a caring and pro-active daughter. Hubie the ‘girl Dad’ and Anita talk in code as their dietary choices differ from mine, but we like the same movies, so she is always ready to watch a weekly rom com with her Mom. We wish Anita a happy birthday and blessings for many more.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, November 14, 2022

Alpha Academy and Windsor University graduate Dr Denise Aloma (nee Wehby) was the recipient of the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership from the U.S. Department of Education earlier this month. The award recognizes outstanding school leaders and the vital role they play in guiding students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances. Dr Aloma was nominated for her commitment to fostering successful teaching and learning at her school and doing “whatever it takes” to help students meet high standards.

Dr Aloma has been a faculty member of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale for over 40 years, serving as Principal for seven years. 

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, November 14, 2022

Jamaicans were cheering from afar when we learned that Democratic candidate for the governorship of Maryland Wes Moore had emerged victorious in last week’s US Mid-Term Elections, the first African American to do so. A video of Moore’s Jamaica 60 greetings to the state’s Jamaican community has been circulating.  Here are some excerpts:

“I’m so proud to stand with the diverse and dynamic communities that make up the great state of Maryland but I have to tell you I’m specifically and particularly proud to stand with the Jamaican association of Maryland because yes I am …very very proud of my history, my culture where I came from . … It is my joy to be able to address all of you in a true celebration of Jamaica’s 60th year Independence knowing that the first sixty were great the next 60 lookout! … I look forward to partnering with you for the next decade, for the next 60 years and beyond.”

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, November 14, 2022

Many of us have seen this: history being rewritten by mediocre successors in organizations; they take credit for the vision and accomplishments of their predecessors. I remember attending a function where the founder, one of Jamaica’s most brilliant women, was seated anonymously at her brainchild’s event while newcomers were preening themselves at the head table. I had to intervene, leading the lady to her rightful place after persuading a reluctant person to take a seat in the audience.

This is why we at CCRP (please know us by the acronym now), an organization for seniors take great care to research and prepare citations annually for our Living Legacy Awards ceremony. What we have discovered each year is that most high achievers are humble individuals; it is not until you insist that they share they life’s journey that you realize how much they have contributed to Jamaica.

Take Winniefred Chambers-Dyer. With a UWI degree in nursing administration, she gave 33 years of service to the Kingston Public Hospital retiring as Deputy Matron. After retirement, she was re-employed to KPH as Operating Theatre and Renal Unit Manager with responsibility for the efficient management of 15 operating theatres. She assisted in establishing the Eye Clinic at the Jamaica Society for the Blind (JSB), was a member of the Prevention of Blindness Committee of the Ministry of Health and was a member of the team which amended the current Opticians’ Act. One of her most challenging assignments was her trip to Montserrat during the island’s Soufriere Hills volcanic eruption in 1997, when she served as team leader of six nurses.

Then there is Beryl Chevannes, a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. Her career in nursing and midwifery was the foundation of her career, leading to her appointment as Executive Director of the National Family Planning Board. She has served as a Consultant to Futures Group International providing technical assistance in the development of A National Youth Policy and the preparation of a national strategic plan for youth development. Mrs Chevannes has served in several roles including as an Examiner with the Nursing Council of Jamaica, Lecturer in the Maternal & Child Health Diploma Course of the Department of Social & Preventive Medicine at UWI, and External Examiner for Nursing & Midwifery with the Nursing Council of Nassau, Bahamas.

We usually see Howard Hamilton on the sports news as president of the Jamaica Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, authoring the publication, “My Journey With Thoroughbreds”.  This dynamic Jamaican headed the Shell Company and created the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) in 1991. The SDF has built sporting infrastructure around the island and also supported administrative capacity in several sports. Serving as Chairman of the then Metropolitan Management and Transport Holdings, Mr Hamilton oversaw the development of bus depots in Portmore and the Corporate Area, including the Metropolitan Transport Centre in Half-Way-Tree.

Gary ‘Butch’ Hendrickson is in his own league as a Jamaican philanthropist.  He received a special Award named for the late Michael Fraser, a generous board director of CCRP. Hendrickson has been heard warning his 1000 strong team “Make the money please – you know I plan to give it away.” With his colleague Glen Christian, the model Union Gardens School was created. His National Baking Foundation has donated millions to early childhood education and more recently to the UWI STEM Project.  Hendrickson sponsored the “Bold Ones of Manufacturing Project” which gave small manufacturers a marketing boost including mobile fixtures for expositions, the production of promotional videos, exposure at JMEA EXPO shows. Two of those companies, AMD Packaging and Spur Tree Spices are now listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange. He created a mobile training classroom complete with teacher and driver and the Jamaican Made Christmas to promote local organizations. He lends his organizational brilliance to the Council of Voluntary Social Services as their Chairman as well as to several high-powered boards.  Meanwhile National Baking continues its 70-year journey, now creating an ultra-modern facility in Montego Bay and widening its range of products.

This column has dubbed Eleanor Jones an ‘Angel of the Environment’.  The former UWI Lecturer grew impatient with the conferences exploring environmental problems and so she left academia to co-found Environmental Solutions. As we constantly weigh the balance between development and environmental protection the company’s initial mission was applying disaster risk management and environmental conservation to the wider public sphere, encompassing Government, private sector and civil society. More than 30 years on, ESL has one of the largest environmental labs and consultancies in the Caribbean, certified to the ISO/IEC Standard, and is continuing to expand through volunteer and community activism. The brilliant Eleanor Jones remains a well-loved empathetic individual, high in EQ as well as IQ.  She is also very proud of granddaughter Rachel Jones who has joined the Reggae Girls World Cup Team, playing for the first time against Paraguay over the past week.

Next week, I will continue to share with you the achievements of more legendary Jamaicans.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, November 7, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

The first fan letter I ever wrote was to Leonie Forbes after watching her play the mother in
Trevor Rhone’s ‘Old Story Time’. In her over sixty years on Jamaica’s stage she slipped
easily into a range of characters, riveting us with her every expression and movement on
stage. She inspired and mentored generations of broadcasters and actors. Indeed I was
surprised to see the comments of young journalists whom she would call when they
mispronounced words and would guide them until they got it right.

Leonie Forbes’ contribution to Jamaican theatre is immeasurable. Dahlia Harris recalled that
she was nervous at the thought of performing with Forbes but found her to be a patient
mentor. We felt the love when her theatre family staged Basil Dawkins’s ‘Hide Your
Husband’ on her 85 th Birthday in June. She was radiant with joy. As Jamaica opens up, the
theatre community can summon up her profound style to preserve our grand theatre tradition.

Members of the Chinese Cultural Association (CCA) would look forward to the presentations
of our former president Dr Kai Meng Lui. The well-travelled doctor who used traditional and
Chinese medicine to attract a host of faithful patients would ply us with fascinating stories
accompanied by great photographs. It was only after his passing at a memorial gathering that
we realized what a multi-faceted individual he was.

The loving husband, father and grandfather was a valued member of several organizations
including the Photographic Club, the Natural History Science Club, and the Jamaica Amateur
Radio Association. He was an energetic organizer of China tours and as colleague Winsome
Mowatt noted, “We just had to show up – Kai Meng took care of everything.” The tributes offered by his daughter Shu Yin Lui-Morgan and office attendant Jennifer Douglas spoke of a
caring family man and a humble doctor who chose to serve in Kingston’s inner city where he
felt no danger, only love from his patients.
Our condolences to their friends and families of Leonie Forbes and Kai Meng Lui; may their
souls rest in peace.