CROWNING A CURVY QUEEN
Following on the successes of last year’s Curvy Caribbean Conference, conceptualiser Alisia Jarrett has launched the first-ever Miss Curvy Jamaica, which will be one of the major highlights of this year’s staging.
“WE WERE very pleased with the money raised at the Spry Polo for Care charity event,” says co-founder of Eve for Life, Joy Crawford,
Last Sunday was a fun day and then some for guests who turned out at the Caymanas Polo Club in suits of style and ‘Flairing’ fashion to support the worthy cause.
Eve for Life was the charity of choice by Spry and supporters from corporate Jamaica, and they could not have been happier for the initiative. “This event was the pioneer that combines both corporate and fitness and the first of its kind to involve a non-governmental organisation (NGO) as their beneficiary,” she added.
Also, exposing her team to a new game, one they never thought they would ever be able to see, as well as exposing those in attendance to the Eve for Life movement was definitely a ‘win-win’ in her book. Crawford and Patricia Watson started the Eve for Life Foundation 10 years ago, out of the sheer need to make a change and help women and children in need. They were both actively engaged in HIV work and saw that the central group that was being left behind were women and children, particularly adolescent girls, young women and children living with or affected by HIV or AIDS. Their paths crossed regularly and thoughts came together: why not do something about it? Crawford left her nine-to-five to tackle the issue head-on. And while Patricia had her own rationale behind the cause, for Crawford, the reason for doing this full-time was simple: she was always of the view that as she got older, she wanted to leave a legacy as a black Jamaican woman who gave back and made a difference in the world.
It was the hardest thing she said she has ever done in her life, but it has been, by far, the most fulfilling. “It wasn’t easy but we formed the NGO from our passion with our own resources. So many have come and gone but we remain committed to a cause that draws people together. We are still here, in spite of everything. The journey has been worth it. It was something I was born to do. If I thought about it rationally, I wouldn’t be here, but my heart said, ‘Yes. This is it’. And my life is enriched for it,” she revealed.
WORTH THE WORK
To see women rise above and get educated. To see children grow healthy. To see those affected not hide behind fear but be confident to say they have HIV and are living healthy with it makes it all worth it for Crawford. “If our women and girls can reach that point of acceptance, then the issue is no longer theirs, it’s yours.”
When Spry came on board, it meant so much to the co-founder, to not only be recognised but to be chosen as the one to be assisted and actually receive their support. And the event, she declared, was amazing.
So what’s next for the NGO? “Leveraging the relationship we have formed so far and tapping into the interest generated from this exposure, along with establishing themselves as key partner to the private and public sectors who are interested in helping women.” Eve for Life, she says, is strategically poised in bringing that discussion into action. “We are the perfect conduit for change,” she shared.
She also asserted that they need to figure out how they can continue to serve the donors and increase awareness of sexual and reproductive abuse in women and children. “We would like to continue our mentorship programmes and get active in more fundraisers. We would like to have an office and offices in the rural areas since those who work with us in different parishes are working out of their homes. And we would love a shelter for our girls as well. It’s time Jamaica rise up and help with this issue,” she charged.
They continue to put in the work, not for personal gratification, but to positively change the lives of their girls. “They deserve our support and we’re here to give them just that.”
Cheers to Eve for Life, the vehicle of transformation.
If you want to join the movement, visit Eve for Life’s website at www.eveforlife.org or email: