Giving back and changing lives

In these troubled times — which will forever be coloured by the novel coronavirus pandemic — it is easy to get so caught up with personal problems that we lose sight of the larger picture.

It becomes easy to forget those around us who are least able to help themselves.

Hence, this newspaper takes pride in having informed readers in yesterday’s Sunday Observer of individuals reaching out with a helping hand. In one instance, world-famous entertainer Mr Orville Burrell — stage name Shaggy — is seeking to provide a level of economic empowerment for 150 boys and young men who clean windscreens at traffic lights across the Corporate Area.

Under the arrangement, the windscreen wipers will sell CDS of Mr Burrell’s Christmas In The Islands album. They received copies of the album without charge and will keep the proceeds from their efforts.

Mr Burrell tells us that his “Christmas present” to windscreen wipers will involve tight monitoring.

Says he: “We have to be in touch with them all the time, give the CDS to them. If they run out then we replenish, so it’s something we have to manage...”

And his message to motorists is, “If you see a guy come up to your car glass... just don’t run him...”

Instead, people should consider buying the CDS, knowing it’s for a good cause, he says.

Even more heart-warming, perhaps, is the story of Mr Treniel Lowe, a 24-year-old, final-year university student who grew up at Maxfield Park Children’s Home and is now using spare time to help children there.

We are told that at age five Mr Lowe and and his two brothers were found alone at home by officials of the State. They had been alerted by a concerned neighbour.

Mr Lowe spent the remainder of his growing-up years at Maxfield Park Children’s Home, gaining an education, developing a sense of self-worth, and developing a respect for his responsibilities to society.

He paid rich tribute to the children’s home: “Oftentimes, when kids are placed in a home, people think that it is the end of the world for them. But it’s not. Maxfield Park [Children’s Home] was my foundation. It was my experience at this home that shaped me into the person I am today...”

Mr Lowe learnt that it is right to give back. So now he is helping the children who are currently residents of the place her grew up to navigate online learning.

“...With COVID disrupting school I knew I had to give of my time to help out...” he told our reporter.

More than that, Mr Lowe is sharing his skills in hospitality and food service management with the children at Maxfield Park.

now on the board of directors at the home as a programmes coordinator, he has created a ‘Taste Competition’, which is encouraging children to develop cooking skills.

nor does Mr Lowe plan to end his good works any time soon. In fact, it seems he is only just getting started.

“Right now, this is how I give back. But as soon as I’m finished with school, and in the working world, I know that my giving back will be on a much larger scale,” he told the Sunday Observer.

What a wonderful example for all of us.

Except for the views expressed in the column above, the articles published on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Jamaica Observer.