In the spirit of the season

By Kimberley Cummins

When it comes to giving back, the youngsters of the local branch of the Junior Optimist International (JOI) Service Club understand the importance of the act very well.

That is why they spearheaded an initiative called A JOIful Christmas and members have been doing their part to make sure that the season is merry and bright for those in need.

Last weekend, the members who are students of the Lodge School and Harrison College (HC) passed on some Christmas cheer when they presented hampers to representatives from both schools along with the Child Care Board (CCB). During the presentation held at Harrison College, Crumpton Street, The City on Saturday, JOI donated 27 hampers that contained food items, toys and other necessities. They were meant to be gifted to students from both schools and their families, as well as a number of primary school students who were selected by the CCB.

HC principal Juanita Wade was especially proud of the students and grateful for the gesture. She said because of the fallout from COVID-19, this Christmas will be even more of a challenge for some Barbadians. Wade said that persons who might not have been in need before are in need now and although the school’s Parents Teachers Association was able to help some of the students, the offering will enhance their efforts.

“I want to salute all the club members, but I single out Saana [Elcock], the vice president, for reaching out to me. I can tell that the selfless attitude of these young people is coming from a desire to truly impact their community. And when I see gestures like this, I feel assured that our country will be in good hands in the future… There will be a feeling of contentment and smiles on children’s faces this Christmas because of you. I thank you on behalf of those families and I encourage you to keep up the good work, but more importantly to continue to have a care for your fellow man,” Wade urged.

The guidance counsellor of the Lodge School, Laura Arthur, also expressed her gratitude as she noted that the donation would help with the school’s give-back efforts.

“It was very humbling because those senior school students could have focused on their online school learning and working solely to achieve the best grades, but they made that sacrifice to help their peers.

This balance of online studies and coordinating these efforts would have called for a lot of planning and I believe it would have been time-consuming. So that was very much appreciated. It was really heartfelt,” Arthur said.

The Club’s motto is “Kids Helping Kids” and this was the ethos of the initiative. (KC)