NCSC Commended for Supporting Seniors

State Minister for Labour and Social Security, Hon. Andrew Gallimore, has praised the efforts of the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) in helping the nation’s seniors remain active participants in society.
“The (NCSC) has been doing hard work…to continuously find ways to engage our seniors, to keep (them) fresh and interactive,” he said, during the opening ceremony for the council’s National Seniors’ Spelling Bee Finals, held on Thursday (Sept. 23) at the St. Andrew Parish Church Hall in Kingston.
Minister Gallimore noted that the NCSC has been instrumental in helping older Jamaicans combat loneliness, by involving them in meaningful activities, which give them a sense of belonging and help to enhance their quality of life.
He assured the senior citizens that the Ministry would keep on supporting them through the NCSC, and urged them to “continue to be the guiding lights in your families and in your communities, continue to do what you can to build this country as you have done.”
In the meantime, Fay James from Manchester won the spelling bee competition, earning the coveted Clinton Davis trophy. Second place went to Janice Evans of St. James, who received the Emkay Sports shield, while Thelma Kidd of
St. Mary, who placed third, received the NCSC shield.
The annual contest, held since 2006, aims to encourage active aging and intellectual stimulation. It is open to Jamaicans 60 years and older.
A total of 12 persons from as many parishes, participated this year, as representatives from Hanover and Trelawny were unable to compete due to unavoidable circumstances.
An agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the NCSC offers a range of programmes and activities geared towards improving the quality of life of the country’s senior citizens.
Among these are: handicraft, home help service, training and education, poster and essay competitions, and income generating activities.