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Michelle McIntosh Harvey is a caregiver at heart. As a member of the Lion’s Club of Kingston for more than 20 years, she has always been active in her community and is continuously seeking ways to assist those in need.

In fact, each Christmas and Easter holiday, she would open her heart and home to children from the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) – a tradition she looked forward to every year. But when she was approached to foster a child fulltime, Mrs Harvey hesitated, thinking it was a challenge for which she wasn’t fully prepared.

“At the time, I was a caregiver for my mother, during the last few years of her life, and I wasn’t sure I could take on the additional responsibility,” she said.

Although uncertain, the Director of Financial Management and Accounting Services at the CPFSA ,decided to invite the then three year-old, along with another child to her home for Christmas. That one chance encounter changed her life forever.

“I would say he came, he saw, and he conquered, because I took one look at him and it was love at first sight,” the beaming mom expressed. “He just came and stole our hearts.”

At the end of his stay, Mrs Harvey decided she could not part ways with Omar, whom she described as a very quiet and loving child. “I told myself I wasn’t sending him back. After that he just became my handbag, everywhere I went he was with me.”

She even designed his own little vest for the Lion’s Club, so they could attend meetings together.

“When I go anywhere with Omar, if I don’t tell people that he’s adopted they don’t know, because we look so much alike. There’s a baby picture of him that when I put it beside a picture of my sister’s son at that same age they look exactly alike,” she said.

It didn’t take long for Mrs Harvey to make the decision to formally adopt Omar. This involved going through all the necessary steps, including home visits from representatives of the CPFSA to the final court visit where a judge grants the legal order of adoption.  

Though there have been challenges, Mrs Harvey admitted that being an adoptive mom has been a truly joyful and rewarding experience. “We connected from day one. I tend to be affectionate and he’s a very loving child…so we feed off each other,” she said.

She noted that the key is love and completely giving of oneself, adding that the power of this role supersedes biology and is ultimately one the greatest expressions of selfless love. 

Mrs Harvey is being featured as part of The Jamaica National Group’s All That She Is movement, which is celebrating women who have taken a different route to motherhood.   

“I recall when my mother passed a few years ago and I was sitting there and bawling. He came to me and asked, ‘mommy you crying for grandma again? Remember you have me you know.’ And those words just changed the whole picture. And I realised I needed to get myself together, because I have my son and the two of us can move forward together,” she said.

Mrs Harvey, who was a single mother for most of the journey, said she drew inspiration from the parents who make up her support system, including her close friends and siblings.

“If I have a concern, then I will speak to someone who has done it before. I have friends who have raised boys only and I will call and ask them for advice.”

And as the years roll by, Mrs Harvey reflects on the decision she made more than a decade ago and knows she would have done it all over again.

Though the years continue to bring them new adventures, triumphs and challenges – she’s now a newlywed and Omar is now almost 15-years-old – what has remained constant is the love and bond they share.

“He’s a happy, adventurous child, who keeps me on my toes, and I look forward to the rest of our lives.”

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Sophie’s Place, a children’s home for special needs children, benefitted from the planting of a vegetable garden and an infrastructural facelift of its outdoor sensory therapy area by members of The Jamaica National Group on Labour Day.

Chevanese Peters, programme coordinator at the JN Foundation said that The Jamaica National Group has adopted the Mustard Seed Communities and have worked with the organisation for some 17 years.

“Sophie’s Place is one of 11 apostolates that the Mustard Seed Communities has across the island and what they have asked us to do here  is part of a longer project that we have taken on in supporting the organisation, is to revive their sensory area as many of the children have some disability. The sensory area would stimulate them,” she explained.

Ms Peters said the JN Foundation Act!on volunteers painted the sensory area with bright colours. They also created a vegetable garden, where the home will be able to reap from to prepare meals for the children.

Christine Madden-Watson, administrator of Sophie’s Place expressed her gratitude to the volunteers.

“For the past 17 years, The Jamaica National Group has partnered with the Mustard Seeds Communities and Sophie’s Place. The project looks amazing and the sensory area looks lively with the bright colours that have been used to paint the area. I just want to say thank you to The Jamaica National Group,” she said.

Mrs Madden-Watson said that the therapy area deteriorated during the pandemic but with the facelift, the children will greatly benefit. She explained that sensory play helps to build nerve connections to the brain, improving cognitive growth and encouraging children to develop motor skills.

 “I just want to say thank you JN and the children and members of staff are appreciative of the work that was done,” she said.

Natassia Lawrence, member service representation at JN Bank who was among the volunteers said she was happy to be involved in the project.

“I love giving back especially to those who are in need of help. It is a very good feeling to see the smile on someone’s face when you give assistance,” she shared.

Sophie’s Place is home to 21 residents including 15 boys and six girls. They have varying disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy to down syndrome.

The Mustard Seed Communities and Sirgany Beach in East Kingston will be the hub of Labour Day activities, being organised byThe Jamaica National Group on May 21 and 23.

“The Jamaica National Group has an ongoing relationship with the Mustard Seed Communities. Therefore, our Labour Day activities will be done at three of their locations in the Corporate Area, St Ann and St James,” said Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation.

Ms Allen said that the administrators at all three locations have expressed a great need for infrastructural and cosmetic fixes that have not been prioritised due to the constraints of the pandemic, but are well needed to maintain the quality care residents deserve.

“Labour Day gives an opportunity for the JN Action staff volunteers and JN Circle members to get involved in a manual work intensive one-day initiative that will improve the facilities that serve the nation’s most vulnerable,” she explained.

Sophie’s Place in Gordon Town, St Andrew; Jacob’s ladder in Moneague, St Ann and Blessed Assurance located in Adelphi, St James are identified as the project locations.

Prior to Labour Day, The Jamaica National Group and its volunteers will do a beach clean-up on Saturday, May 21 at Sirgany Beach in East Kingston.

“We will be doing our part to clean up our coastline and give back to Mother Earth, as we come together to help rid our country’s coastline of harmful debris,” said Ms Allen.

On Thursday, the JN Group commenced the Labour Day activities with the handing over of fruit trees and seedlings to members at its Half-Way-Tree Branch.

The Labour Day activities form part of the JN Group’s Environmental Sustainable programme, which will be launched at a later date. The programme is geared at supporting environmental awareness practices in Jamaica by focusing on key areas such as: deforestation, waste management, water conservation and energy efficiency.

Through the programme, The Jamaica National Group intends to increase staff awareness by 20 per cent; establish plastic bottle collection sites at branches and offices across the island; work with tertiary institutions to identify sustainable innovation to face mask disposal and plant 4,320 seedlings over the next year, among other activities.

Ms Allen said members of the public can support the initiative by: following the three ‘Rs’ – reduce, reuse and recycle; by cutting down on non-reusable items; planting a tree; choosing to use non-toxic chemicals at home and in office, and volunteering and supporting all environmental-related projects organised by the JN Group.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation and member ombudsman, The Jamaica National Group, has urged more women to assume the role of advocates of the environment, citing their increased vulnerability to climate change.

“What we have found at The JN Group is that the spirit of advocacy that lives in women still thrives, but we need to nurture it some more. We need to encourage women to speak up and say what their truth is regardless of how popular or unpopular it is,” she said.

She was addressing the International Women’s Day Luncheon recently, organised by the United Way of Jamaica under the theme, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.

She emphasised that climate change is real and affecting the economic livelihood of many persons, but particularly women, who she underscored, are more vulnerable and, therefore, negatively impacted by rising temperatures and their subsequent influence on sea level rise and more extreme and frequent climatic phenomena.

“The statistics over the years have shown that when there are huge natural disasters, the larger the event the more women will die, the greater the difference between the number of male victims than female victims and what that suggests is that most vulnerable groups are women,” she pointed to global statistics.

According to data from the UN, up to 70 per cent of the world’s 1.3 billion poor are women and girls, and 40 per cent of the poorest households in urban spaces are led by single women. They also responsible for up to 80 per cent of food production and own less than 10 per cent of land, which makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change globally.

In Jamaica, although marginally more males are considered poor than women, female-headed households are poorer than those headed by men, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Similarly, the Caribbean Policy and Research Institute notes that three in four adults in Jamaica’s poorest communities are women, several of whom are leaders of their households, and their plight has been worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, which Ms Allen points to as evidence of their vulnerability.

Ms Allen said despite the disadvantages experienced by women and girls, their voices are underrepresented, which she said also means that their extensive knowledge of the environment and resource conservation is untapped.

She pointed out that The Jamaica National Group has been encouraging advocacy through the JN Circle- a network of service clubs for JN Members that focuses on building community resilience across the 14 parishes where the clubs are located.

“We launched the JN Circle, and we have 18 JN Circle chapters across the island, and they work together as clubs to create change for something that is happening in their community and we fund it if the proposal is sustainable,” she said.

Through the JN Circle, the members have undertaken projects that build social infrastructure and strengthen community capacity. She said that in this experience, they found the popular notion to be true that women and girls are responsive and become natural champions for community issues.

The JN Foundation general manager informed that these clubs are working to make change in the communities across the island. Some of these advocacy issues include: intimate partner violence; meditation and keeping the peace, among other areas.

She also informed that through the Water Adaptation Project, which was recently concluded, women were integral in being encouraged in the use of water adaptation technologies to address water management issues related to climate change in Jamaica.

The project, which was launched in 2017, is a joint collaboration between the JN Bank, the JN Foundation, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Nearly a year after it implemented water-saving devices and a rainwater harvesting system, the Wortley Home for Girls in Kingston has realised a reduction in its water consumption and savings in its monthly water bill.

The rainwater harvesting systems and devices were donated by the JN Foundation in 2021 and comprised 12 water-efficiency kits and a rainwater harvesting system, which included piping and guttering, as well as a tank donated by dancehall entertainer and JN Group Brand Ambassador, Agent Sasco.

“It has reduced our water bill by at least 50 per cent,” said Delories Bailey, manager of the Wortley Home for Girls, as she explained that the connection was made to their laundry system and the water efficiency kits were used for the shower heads and bathroom.

“When the tank is full, we are good to go for the laundry. We can get up to two weeks’ of washing out of it. However, when that is finished and we don’t get any rain, we have to revert to using the water from the National Water Commission (NWC). But overall it has saved us quite a bit,” she disclosed.

Ms Bailey underscored the importance of the rainwater harvesting system, which she said is essential given the cost of water, which is expected to increase according to the NWC, due to rising global energy costs, being worsened by the Russia-Ukraine war.

“I would certainly encourage persons, especially other children’s homes that have a large population to implement this system. You have to monitor the water and that is how you see the savings. So, the homes that have 50 or more children, should implement the rainwater harvesting system and they would see some savings,” she explained.

Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation, said the system was donated to the home in an effort to implement water adaptation measures and encourage efficient water usage. The initiative was implemented under Water Project Jamaica, which was started in 2017, as a joint collaboration with the  JN Bank, the JN Foundation, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Lab.

Ms Allen said the March 22 announcement by the Wortley Home was timely, as the world observed World Water Day under the theme Groundwater: making the invisible visible.

“In observance of this year’s World Water Day, we want to emphasize the value of water, whether in homes, schools or communities. We want everyone to take the message of water conservation and efficient water use as a part of valuing water. The evidence is there as our donation to Wortley Home for Girls has increased its efficient use of water and decreased the burden of high bills,” she pointed out.

Rainwater-harvesting systems capture rainwater by directing it from large surfaces, for example, roofs, to an underground or over-ground holding tank. The harvested rainwater is filtered and then pumped directly to the appliances or to a header tank. Domestic or commercial applications include flushing toilets. The home will use its system to reduce water consumption primarily in the laundry area.

The Wortley Home was established by the Anglican Diocese in 1918 to provide a home and a safe space for girls ages seven to 18. The institution was recently rebuilt following a fire in 2015, and now provides a loving environment and Christian upbringing for 14 girls, from a variety of backgrounds.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation and member ombudsman, The Jamaica National Group, is urging more women to assume roles as advocates of the environment, citing their increased vulnerability to climate change.

“What we have found at The JN Group is that the spirit of advocacy that lives in women still thrives, but we need to nurture it some more. We need to encourage women to speak up and say what their truth is regardless of how popular or unpopular it is,” she said.

She was addressing the International Women’s Day Luncheon organised by the United Way of Jamaica under the theme, Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow. The event was held recently at the AC Hotel in Kingston.

She emphasised that climate change is real and affecting the economic livelihood of many persons, but especially  women, who she underscored, are more vulnerable and, therefore, negatively impacted by rising temperatures and their subsequent influence on sea level rise and more extreme and frequent climatic phenomena.

“The statistics over the years have shown that when there are huge natural disasters, the larger the event the more women will die, the greater the difference between the number of male victims than female victims and what that suggests is that most vulnerable groups are women,” she pointed to global statistics.

According to data from the UN, up to 70 per cent of the world’s 1.3 billion poor are women and girls, and 40 per cent of the poorest households in urban spaces are led by single women. They also responsible for up to 80 per cent of food production and own less than 10 per cent of land, which makes them more vulnerable to the effects of climate change globally.

In Jamaica, although marginally more males are considered poor than women, female-headed households are poorer than those headed by men, according to the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ). Similarly, the Caribbean Policy and Research Institute notes that three in four adults in Jamaica’s poorest communities are women, several of whom are leaders of their households, and their plight has been worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, which Ms Allen points to as evidence of their worsened vulnerability.

Ms Allen said despite the vulnerabilities experienced by women and girls, their voices are underrepresented, which she said also means that their extensive knowledge of the environment and resource conservation is untapped.

She pointed out that The Jamaica National Group has been encouraging advocacy through the JN Circle- a network of service clubs for JN Members that focuses on building community resilience across the 14 parishes where the clubs are located.

“We launched the JN Circle, and we have 18 JN Circle chapters across the island, and they work together as clubs to create change for something that is happening in their community and we fund it if the proposal is sustainable,” she said.

Through the JN Circle, the members have undertaken projects that build social infrastructure and strengthen community capacity. She said that in this experience, they found the popular notion to be true that women and girls are responsive and become natural champions for community issues.

The JN Foundation general manager informed that these clubs are working to make change in the communities across the island. Some of these advocacy issues include: intimate partner violence; meditation and keeping the peace, among other areas.

She also informed that through the Water Adaptation Project, which was recently concluded, women were integral in being encouraged in the use of water adaptation technologies to address water management issues related to climate change in Jamaica.

The project, which was launched in 2017, is a joint collaboration between the JN Bank, the JN Foundation, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Close to 1,200 Jamaicans have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through the efforts of the JN Foundation, as the country heads into the busy Christmas season.

“Restrictions have been loosened, in an effort to spur economic activity during this period, but at the same time, we recognise that this may lead to an increase in infections, especially in light of the emergence of a new variant. Therefore, we are very pleased with the response to immunisation efforts since October 1,” commented Claudine Allen, general manager, JN Foundation.

Her comments come on the heel of another successful drive under the Foundation’s Immunise… Save Lives campaign, which took place at the Central High School in May Pen, Clarendon on December 8. Exactly 502 persons received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during the exercise. 

Immunise… Save Lives campaign has so far targeted rural parishes, where vaccination rates are lowest and the incidence of COVID-19 been high since the pandemic in March 2020. Four drives have been conducted so far in Westmoreland, Manchester and Clarendon, which all have less than 25 per cent of their populations receiving at least one dose of a vaccine, although these parishes have had the fourth, third and fifth highest incidence of COVID-19 infections. 

The Foundation has also supported at least one vaccination drive in the Corporate Area, lending assistance to the Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights on December 4 at the Maverley Primary and Junior High School, where 110 more residents of Maverley received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“If we get more of our people vaccinated, then the impact of any fourth wave of the virus will not be as crippling to our healthcare system and economy,” Ms Allen reasoned. “We need to get back to good old Jamaican life if we are going to achieve our development goals.”

She reiterated that the Foundation will be maintaining its message, as it moves to other parishes and continues with its public education via radio and online, in addition to the immunisation drives. The organisation will return to the Bishop High School on December 15 to administer first or second doses of Pfizer vaccines only.

“We want every Jamaican to deeply understand that protecting themselves is an act of love for their families and for their country, therefore, we will continue with our message and our efforts,” she said.    

The JN Foundation through the JN Circle is inviting members to submit proposals for projects which will improve their communities; and to access grant funding of up to J$1.5 million, to address issues related to health and safety; education and sports development, at the community level.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, said that the Foundation was working in collaboration with the JN Circle to implement the projects. The deadline for the proposals is November 30.

For proposals to be considered, they must have the following criteria: projects must fit within the themes/focal areas; must be sustainable and impactful; should have measurable and realistic outcomes; and, the project budget should be aligned with the grant amount.

“The proposals must be an initiative being implemented by chapters of the JN Circle and their partner organisations. Projects should be for the benefit of the community and not an individual,” she pointed out.

She urged persons to visit the JN Circle website at https://www.myjncircle.com, to learn about the JN Circle, and join a local chapter so that they can be a part of an initiative in their community.

“The Foundation prepared JN Circle members to identify and develop projects which will create positive impact in their communities,” Ms Allen went on to say. “We hosted training sessions to ensure the ideas presented were sustainable, measurable and importantly, they would achieve the JN Circle mandate of community building.”

Welcoming the initiative, Phillip Service, President of the JN Circle Falmouth, noted the positive impact which the funds could create. He added that all JN Circle members should use this opportunity to access needed funding for their respective community projects.

“This is an opportunity for community leaders to add some value to what is being offered at the community level. Certainly, it will make a significant contribution to education, or any of the social issues being faced by the community,” he said.

“This is also an opportunity to also develop leaders, who are consciously able to respond to those issues,” he added.

The JN Foundation established the pool of J$15 million, to be accessed by chapters of the JN Circle for the funding initiatives, which will serve to improve their communities. A selection committee is in place to review applications and determine the winning projects.

The JN Circle is a network of clubs, which comprises JN members and customers of the companies in The Jamaica National Group. It was introduced in August 2019; and allows members and customers, who share JN’s values, to take action aimed to improve outcomes for themselves and for all Jamaicans, wherever they reside. There are 16 JN Circle clubs across the country.

Suewhen Stewart, member service officer at JN Bank, Morant Bay, knows too well how speeding can negatively affect one’s life. She remembers vividly a motor vehicle accident that could have claimed her life and that of her unborn child, three years ago.

“It was a rainy November morning in 2018.  I was in Kingston and fell ill so I took a bus to see my doctor in Morant Bay (St. Thomas). After passing the Cement Company, the bus overturned, it spin about four times on its side”, she shared.  “I jumped through a broken window and saw the conductor under the bus. I was rushed to hospital and placed on bed rest because I was seven months pregnant”.

Stewart informed that the driver of the bus was speeding on that day. Sadly the conductor died from the injuries he received in the crash.

“Speed kills, reduce your speed, especially if the road is wet, if you want to be early, leave early,” she advised.

Another young professional, Yanique Wilson, marketing and communications officer at MC Systems, is happy to be alive today. Three years ago she was seriously injured while travelling in a taxi which was involved in a road crash.

“The accident left my right hand and leg broken. These injuries rendered me helpless and bed ridden for six excruciating months. Today, while I have recovered, I’m left with the mental trauma from the accident and I still do not have full use of my legs,” she disclosed.

Wilson’s words of advice is that everyone has a part to play in reducing the number of crashes on the road. “You don’t have to do anything wrong be a victim, you could be in the right and still be injured so we all have a part to play. This is my plea to you. Do your part, please obey the Road Code,” she said.

The number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes since the start of the year has raced across the 400-mark and now stands at 401, according to the latest statistics provided by the Road Safety Unit (RSU) in the Ministry of Transport and Mining.

The RSU said fatal crashes and fatalities have both increased by four per cent this year when compared to the corresponding period in 2020.

Deidre Hudson-Sinclair, acting director of the Road Safety Unit said that she is saddened that statistics are going in the wrong direction, and note that it is a reflection that Jamaica has a far way to go in terms of education, driver training, safe roads and safe vehicles.

She said, as we observe World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims,  on Sunday, November 21, 2021, it is a time for reflection and a time to implement strategies that can drive down the number of road crashes.

“My heart goes out to the people who have lost their family members.  Many of them were the bread winners in their family. The best way to honour these victims and their families is to continue the fight against road crashes through road safety education and creating a safer traffic environment for all,” she said

 Claudine Allen, general manager at the JN Foundation said road crashes and fatalities continue to be a major problem in Jamaica. She said the economic fallout is great with significant cost to healthcare, productivity and infrastructure. 

“Even greater is the loss of lives and limbs and often the permanent incapacitation of many of the road crash victims. The social, financial and emotional effects on families are other areas in which the nation’s people suffer greatly,” she noted. 

Miss Allen said many of these crashes are preventable if due care was taken by all road users – motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. 

“The appeal must continue until there is a change in the behaviour of all road users.  A greater level of awareness, discipline and courtesy must be displayed by all, then and only then will we see the reduction in road crashes and the resultant injuries and fatalities,” she said.