Weather institute staff show they care

The staff charity fund at the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) marked its 20th anniversary by raising $20 000 in support to various organisations and individuals in need.

Chief Meteorologist Kathy-Ann Caesar said the fund initially focused on underprivileged children during the holiday season. Over time, the fund broadened its scope to encompass a diverse range of charitable endeavours.

“I believe we’ve added new contributors just in the last month so we had the idea of commemorating the 20th anniversary by giving a large donation to as many as we could. It is not often that we can say we make a difference in people’s lives, but we have. And I can only imagine as a parent how these contributions have eased your burden in times of hardship,” Caesar told the recipients.

The $20 000 was distributed among several beneficiaries, including Ajani Grazette, Blessing Taylor, the Child Care Board’s Nightingale Children’s Village, the Irving Wilson School, and the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness (BAEH).

The 56-year-old teaching and research institute committed itself to matching the fund’s contribution.

Grazette, 11, diagnosed with the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis, received $2 000 to assist with the cost of his annual treatments overseas. Eight-year-old Taylor, diagnosed with a laryngeal web, a rare partial blockage of the windpipe, received $8 000. The Child Care Board’s Nightingale Children’s Village and the Irving Wilson School each received $4 000, while the BAEH was given $2 000.

Expressing gratitude for the donation to BAEH, Client Relations Officer Natalie Murray outlined plans to allocate the funds to the Spry Street Homeless Centre.

CIMH Principal Dr David Farrell commended the staff charity fund’s accomplishments, acknowledging the commitment of current and retired staff members in effecting meaningful change through their contributions.

“Normally you would expect that the head of the organisation would be involved in the decision to disperse these funds and so on. I’m not. I think CIMH has a staff of caring people and they make these decisions,” said Dr Farrell. “They don’t have to be directed by the top. It is action by people. It’s people-centred action that keeps this going and I am grateful for the people who continue to do it because it has become an important part of society.” (RG)