Heavy Rains No Damper for JIS Mount Olivet Sports Day

Heavy rains and foggy conditions could not stop the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) team members from making their trek to the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home in Walderston, Manchester, last Saturday (April 8), for the annual Sports Day Easter visit.

The busload of 50-odd JIS staff, their families and friends set out early in the morning for a day of fun-filled activities with the more than 35 residents of the home.

The group of close to 90 persons was split into four teams and competed against each other in relays; sprints; obstacle, sack, lime and spoon, and math races; tug of war, bun-eating contest; and football.

Chief Executive Officer at the JIS, Donna-Marie Rowe, said the agency is proud of its relationship with the boys’ home.

“It has been almost eight years since we adopted the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home and we have watched the boys grow and develop into fine young men. Their consistent hard work and ambitions encourage us to keep working with them,” she noted.

“We now have an enduring bond, and all members of staff are dedicated to this cause,” Mrs. Rowe added.

Administrative Officer at the JIS, Taja Simpson, who joined the agency last July and was visiting the home for the first time, said she thoroughly enjoyed the Sports Day.

“I thought it was very exciting, and I enjoyed seeing the boys and meeting some of them. I was impressed with how much they wanted to participate and how much fun they had,” she noted.
Security Officer, Carl Campbell, who was also paying his first visit to Mount Olivet, said “it was an experience I will never forget. It was good seeing the children. They are happy… very smart children. It was good getting to meet and know some of them”.

Sponsorship and Promotions Coordinator, JP Tropical Foods Limited, Carol Rodriquez, said her company is proud to be a part of the initiative.

JP Tropical Foods has been supporting the JIS’s visit to Mount Olivet for more than a year.

“The thing that touched my heart was to see how these boys demonstrated true sportsmanship. They displayed the leadership skills and quality behaviours that are lacking in the wider society, especially in boys. I am very happy that we were a part of it,” she added.

Mrs. Rowe, in the meantime, expressed gratitude to the various sponsors for their years of contribution to the project.

“We rely heavily on the support of our sponsors to make a meaningful impact every quarter, and we appreciate their generosity. We are hopeful that our relationship with the home will be transformational in the lives of the young men,” she expressed.

Other sponsors are YB Afraid Foundation, which is a partner in the project, Maxfield Bakery, Tastee, Trade Winds Citrus, Wisynco, Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited, Juici Patties, and Coldfield Manufacturing Limited.

Mount Olivet Boys’ Home celebrates 50 years of existence on April 20, and a number of activities are being planned to mark the milestone.