Service club commits to nation building through education
AS IT celebrates 29 years of service to the country, the Rotary Club of New
Kingston (RCNK) has pledged to continue its support for the education sector, recognising the crucial role it plays in the development of the society.
To date, RCNK has worked extensively with children and has made numerous donations of reading materials, learning aids, stationery and toiletries to several inner-city learning institutions, including the Kintyre, Nannyville, and Gordon Town basic schools.
RCNK has also refurbished the kitchen at the Nannyville Basic School to bring it in line with government standards and to ensure that there is a proper facility to provide each student with balanced nutrition to aid in learning.
For years, the RCNK has carried out literacy projects to assist both children and adults to develop their reading and learning skills.
Asked what drives the RCNK to continue its mission, Peta-Gay Pryce, club president, said the organisation knows that a ripple effect will be created by its positive actions.
“We believe that if each individual is able to become his/ her better self, the positive energy from that achievement will have a substantial multiplier effect across society. At that point, we will all be better able to identify and support the strengths within each other at the individual, organisational, community and national levels,” she said.
“The club undertakes projects based on needs and not geography,” Pryce pointed out, adding that RCNK recently made a donation of water tanks to the Watt Town Primary School in St Ann, as well as vegetables for the school’s garden as a means of promoting food security and added income for the institution. In addition, she revealed that the club would be setting up an irrigation system for the school, which experiences frequent water disruptions.
The RCNK recently hosted a digital animation competition and business workshop at the Caribbean School of Medical Science. Pryce revealed that “the project was undertaken as a means of creating opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship in the technology sector”.
The club continues to host its free annual health fair, which caters to more than 200 persons and offers services including medical screening, dental care, optical screening and free medication. RCNK recently provided a grant for 10 police officers from the Constant Spring and Grants Pen police stations to complete first response training with St John Ambulance.
‘We believe that if each individual is able to become his/her better self, the positive energy from that achievement will have a substantial multiplier effect across society.’