Category: News

GK-Sponsored Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce Pocket Rocket Foundation Celebrity Auction a Huge Success

Event raises some J$4M for Pocket Rocket Foundation Education Fund

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Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce with the memorabilia auctioned.

On Thursday, May 5, GraceKennedy supported Jamaica’s first ever silent auction put on by its Ambassador Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. The auction featuring mobile bidding for signed sports memorabilia exceeded its intended target of $3million, raising a whopping $4 million plus for the scholarship fund for Shelly-Ann’s Pocket Rocket Foundation. The event, held at The Spanish Court Hotel Hall, was supported by GraceKennedy’s FGB, GKRS, GK General Insurance and GraceKennedy Corporate brands.

With Dr. Michael Abrahams as MC and President of the Pocket Rocket Foundation Bruce James guiding the mobile bidding process, regular updates on the popular items were provided to encourage the audience to submit their best offers. The 14 items available fetched impressive bids, with a jersey from superstar footballer Neymar Jr., shoes from LeBron James and spikes from Shelly-Ann attracting the highest individual bids. A precision timepiece by Swiss watchmakers Ernst Benz and a signed 2014 PGA Championship Valhalla flag donated by PGA Golfer Rory Mcllroy, also attracted impressive bids.

Guest speaker, Olympian Sherone Simpson shared stories of her success, despite the pressures of a demanding athletic career and her focus on her academics.

Guests included Shelly-Ann’s sponsors, Board Members of the Pocket Rocket Foundation, MVP Track & Field Club teammates and sports enthusiasts.

Champion Household workers welcomed at King’s House

We are delighted to share Lowrie-Chin’s post on Blogspot highlighting the outstanding GraceKennedy Heather Little-White Household Worker of the Year awardees on their courtesy call visit to the Governor General on April 15. 

Let’s salute these amazing women!

The 2015 GraceKennedy Champion Household Worker Rosetta Steer and runners-up Jasmin Miller, Donna Elizabeth Smith, and Jamaica Household Workers Union (JHWU) President Shirley Pryce were warmly received at King’s House last Friday by Governor General Sir Patrick Allen.  The company’s Communications Director Simone Clarke-Cooper and Executive Chef Mazie Miller accompanied the second set of winners, who demonstrated not only good housekeeping skills, but care and concern for their communities.

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GraceKennedy 2015 Household Workers of the Year arrive at King’s House with Shirley Pryce (2nd left), President of the Jamaica Household Workers Union

 

The GG observed that household workers were invaluable to our productivity.  He said that the busiest of persons, including those in leadership positions, look forward to returning to their homes at the end of the day, and remarked that it was because of dedicated household workers that many of us could enjoy an orderly home. I mentioned that the sacrifices made by Fanny Ricketts, our family’s household worker of blessed memory, inspired me to propose this award, which was readily embraced by GraceKennedy

Nominated by the two diplomats for whom she does housekeeping, the dignified Rosetta

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GG Most Hon Sir Patrick Allen greets Donna Elizabeth Smith, 2nd Runner-Up while Rosetta Steer, GK Household Worker of the Year (in yellow) and 1st Runner-Up Jasmin Miller look on

Steer used some of her $350,000 prize money to complete her course in practical nursing. “It is hard to work and study,” she said, “but with prayer I am getting there.” Jasmin Miller is winding up her City & Guilds course in housekeeping, while mentoring children in her Spanish Town community. Donna Elizabeth Smith was nominated by media maven Fae Ellington, her next door neighbour, who noted her devotion as caregiver to a 103-year-old lady.

 

GraceKennedy talks nutrition at Annual GK Foundation Lecture

Former GraceKennedy Scholar Professor Marvin Reid focused on the issue of nutrition at the annual GraceKennedy Foundation Lecture, which took place on Monday, March 14 at the Jamaica Pegasus. Hundreds were keen on digesting the revealing information provided in the lecture entitled, Overfed & Undernourished: Dietary Choices in Modern Jamaica.’

Professor Marvin ReidIn his 45-minute long presentation, Professor Reid highlighted the various challenges across all sectors of the Jamaican demographic, caused by the wrong food choices. He pointed out that the country spends approximately J$80 billion on lifestyle -related illnesses per year including diabetes and hypertension. He noted that obesity was also becoming an issue in Jamaica, as shown in the 2008 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey (JHLS), which reported that 25 per cent of the Jamaican population was obese. He also said that under nutrition was a significant issue.

Professor Reid stated that all stakeholders had a role to play in creating a healthier,   productive population.  Giving examples of the right food choices, he noted that individuals had to take responsibility for what they put into their bodies and those of their children. He added that the government also had a role to play in addressing the dietary issues faced by the population.

He treated the attendees inside the filled to capacity ballroom, to a range of solutions to address their personal dietary choices, including monitoring the number of calories in each meal.  He also urged mothers to breastfeed their children for the first six months of their lives (at the very least), as breast-feeding has been shown to be critical to the overall development of the child, especially in later years.

For the first time this year, the GraceKennedy Foundation introduced its #ChooseMyPlate competition, where high schools  with a Food and Nutrition lab, offering  the subject at the CSEC level, were encouraged to upload video entries of preparation of a healthy meal using $2000 worth of (mainly Grace) products.  Three schools – one from each county – were awarded a $75,000 grant towards their Food and Nutrition Lab. Each student, as well as the teachers involved, also won $5,000 gift certificates courtesy of Hi-Lo. The winners were Godfrey Stewart High School (Cornwall), Charlemont High School (Middlesex) and Excelsior High School (Surrey). The schools also got the opportunity to display their winning meals at the Lecture.

GraceKennedy 94th Anniversary Week of Celebrations Ends on a High Note

Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’ was the closing number for the Crowning of GK’s Karaoke Kings and Queens held at GK’s head office on Friday February 19.  The song, delivered in energetic karaoke style, was delivered by a group of GK employees in a spirit of true camaraderie and fun, closing out a week of activities commemorating GraceKennedy’s 94th Anniversary on February 14.

The highly-entertaining karaoke competition saw many hopefuls with talent, bravado and confidence, vying for the grand prize of $9,400.00 each.   At the end of the day, Randy Anderson and Kelly McIntosh, both of GK Foods Supply Chain Unit, were crowned the winners.

In mid karaoke session, GraceKennedy Group CEO Don Wehby cut the company’s Anniversary cake with Anicee Gray-Brown of GK Foods Central, who joined GK in 1994.

The week started on Monday, February 15, with an outside broadcast of RJR 94FM’s Jamaican Morning with hosts Allan Magnus and Paula-Ann Porter Jones.  In his interview, Mr Wehby spoke to the growth of GraceKennedy over the years, the Group’s global expansion while continually supporting Jamaica’s development, and the continued commitment to downtown Kingston including the construction of a new Corporate HQ, which coincidentally started that same day.

 

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GraceKennedy Group CEO Don Wehby (right) discusses his company’s 94th anniversary with Allan Magnus (left) and Paula-Ann Porter Jones, hosts of RJR 94FM’s Jamaican Morning during an outside broadcast on February 15, 2016

 

On Wednesday February 17, approximately 60 GK employees took to the waterfront in downtown Kingston for the ‘Harbour Haul’, a voluntary effort aimed at cleaning up a section of the coastline.  In less than three hours, they removed over 1,000 lbs of garbage and plastics from the Kingston Harbour’s coastline.

Cleaning Up

Throughout the week, there were daily giveaways for the company’s employees.

“It’s been a great week. We celebrated as a family, knowing that that is what got us to 94 years, and will take us to 94 more,” said Mr Wehby. “We thank all of our customers for their support of GraceKennedy.”

J. WRAY & NEPHEW LIMITED DONATES OVER 70 HOSPITAL BEDS ISLAND-WIDE

J. Wray and Nephew Limited, recently donated 76 hospital beds and mattresses valued at approximately US$57,000 (J$6.8 Million) to six major hospitals across the island as part of the company’s 190th anniversary celebrations.

 

 

The handover of the beds was made during a ceremony at Food For The Poor Jamaica’s headquarters at Ellerslie Pen, St. Catherine. The health institutions benefitting from this donation are Kingston Public, Spanish Town, Cornwall Regional, May Pen, St. Ann’s Bay and Mandeville Hospitals.

ALL SET_JWN HOSPITAL BED HANDOVER

Commending J. Wray and Nephew Limited for its vital contribution to the health sector, Hon Horace Dalley, Minister of Health stated that, “The demand for bed space at our health facilities is great. In December 2015 there was a total of four thousand and eighty-four (4,084) in-patients across the island. Therefore, this donation will go a far way in assisting with ensuring that we have adequate beds to accommodate our patients.” He further added, “We welcome this partnership with the private sector as we continue to work towards strengthening the health sector in many ways.”

Clement ‘Jimmy’ Lawrence, Managing Director of J. Wray and Nephew Limited, was especially pleased that, as part of its tradition of giving back, the company was able to play a part in alleviating the challenges currently being faced by the public health sector.

 

“Our Company recognizes the critical role of investing in areas of national development and the health sector is of paramount importance in this regard. We are delighted to be able to provide these beds, thereby increasing the capacity of the recipient hospitals and filling an existing need of our primary care providers across the island.”

 

Lumex-US0208-2All 76 beds are semi-electric, which means they are able to be adjusted with and without an electrical source.

 

The initiative was carried out in partnership with Food for The Poor Jamaica which sourced the beds ensuring that they met international specifications.

 

 

 
Mrs. Jennifer Chambers, Acting CEO of the Spanish Town Hospital stated: We’re very happy that J. Wray & Nephew took on this initiative because these beds will definitely help to enhance the experience of patients at the hospital.”

 
J. Wray and Nephew Limited’s 190th yearlong anniversary celebrations will continue until June 2016 and the company will continue its community outreach during this time, giving particular attention to the areas of community development, education, sports and health.

Jelani Walker is the First Recipient of the Don Wehby Scholarship for Excellence in Sports and Academics

GraceKennedy Group CEO and St George’s College ‘Old Boy’ Don Wehby spoke at the school’s graduation ceremony. During his remarks, he made a call for more individuals to get involved in the development of their alma maters, pledging $100,000 of his personal income to fund an annual scholarship for needy, academically inclined athletes at the institution.

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Mr Wehby has made good on that promise. On Tuesday, September 8, at the St George’s Founder’s Day service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral, sixth form student Jelani Walker was awarded the inaugural Don Wehby scholarship for Excellence in Sports and Academics.  The scholarship will be given annually to a sixth form student in need of financial assistance, who displays academic excellence, excellence in sports, community service and a high level of discipline.

“I was an athlete in High School, and I know first- hand the challenge to balance the schoolwork with the sports. Add financial need to the equation and it can cause great stress and worry, and that can really negatively impact how a young person performs in school. I think it’s also good to reward young people who aim high, display good values and achieve greatness. Jelani is an outstanding you man, and very deserving of this award based on the criteria,” said Mr Wehby.

“I just want to encourage more of us who can – as individuals and as corporate entities – to give back to the schools that have, in large part, helped to make us who we are.  It’s good for the young people, good for the institutions and good for Jamaica,” said Wehby.

GraceKennedy Launches ‘GK World’ Series On Corporate Website

Company using digital presence to enhance customer relationships

As GraceKennedy continues to grow, the company has consistently tried to demonstrate that it is innovative and enterprising.   With subsidiaries all over the world, GK is well on its way to being a Global Consumer Group. This has caused the brand to ramp up efforts to stay abreast of global changes as well as consumers’ needs and preferences by offering a diversity of products and services.

The recent   launch of the  ‘GraceKennedy Value Rewards’ programme, the most robust and comprehensive rewards programme of its type, is part of this strategy. Under the programme, consumers can sign up and earn rewards when they use their card at select GK subsidiaries, with the added benefit of user empowerment, in which users are able to redeem their points directly. It is against this backdrop of empowering and engaging their broad and diverse customer base across borders, that the ‘GK World’ series is being launched.  It is borne out of the company’s internal desire for the brand to have a strong digital presence to develop meaningful relationships with its customers around the world, while emphasizing the brand’s ideals and values.

According to Tricia Martin, Head of Customer Loyalty and Engagement, “It’s not enough for us to know our fans and followers. We want them to know us too, and know us intimately.” She continued, “Sight, sound and motion are still the most powerful tools in storytelling and that is why we will be using this video series, ‘GK World’, to showcase the many stories inside GK.”

The videos will take on different formats and styles, and will give a real look at the GK brand, including its business, subsidiaries, its contributions and its positions on matters of national and global interest.

The first three episodes will feature Caroline Mahfood, Executive Director of the GraceKennedy Foundation, Tanketa Chance-Wilson, General Manager of Grace & Staff Community Development Foundation and Steven Whittingham, Managing Director of GK Capital.

This content will be carried exclusively on GraceKennedy’s website and social media pages.

Consumers are also being encouraged by Ms. Martin to “not only watch the series, but share their own experiences with GK or topics that they would like addressed in the ‘GK World’ series on the website through the GK & You link.”

GraceKennedy’s corporate website can be found at http://www.gracekennedy.com.