Presiding Bishop of the Apostolic Ark Pentecostal Church of Jamaica, Dr. Geoffrey Wellington Johnson, will be honoured on National Heroes Day, October 18, for 55 years of service to religion and community development. He will receive the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service, at the National Honours and Awards ceremony. Dr. Johnson, who is affectionately called “Brown’s Town Daddy’ for...

At first, Hortense Davis* was hesitant about taking the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The Red Stripe employee told JIS News that she is not an antivaxxer, but she had heard so many stories disparaging the vaccines that she was scared to get the jab. “Everyone was saying, if you take it, yuh a go dead,” she said. However, when her employer...

The Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC) soldiers are giving back to society through engagement in outreach projects to benefit the community, particularly vulnerable groups. The objective is to make a positive impact through service. The ninth JNSC intake, which graduated in June 4, hosted two blood-donation drives during their one-year training period, contributing 250 units of the potentially life-saving commodity,...

As a first-time father, entrepreneur Kristofferson Nunes decided to write a Parental Manifesto that guides how he creates an environment for his son’s upbringing. According to Mr. Nunes, his Manifesto sits in the notepad of his cellphone and is updated daily by inspiration from his past and current life experiences that he believes can transition into principles that will aid...

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) recently received a boost to its capacity to provide psychological support for children in State care. Electronic psychological assessment tools, valued at just over US$11,000, have been provided to the Agency under the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Network Infrastructure Expansion project, which is being implemented as part of the public-sector transformation...

The National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) helplines have been operational for one year, and according to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisation, Kaysia Kerr, the initiative is still focused on making an impact on the lives of those who reach out to the agency for assistance. “We do not get caught up with the uptake in terms of the...

The Green Block Foundation, established by three Jamaicans living in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States (US), is providing much-needed support to schools in the parishes of Portland and St. Thomas where its founders grew up. Several institutions located in communities across the two parishes have received educational supplies and food products from the Foundation to enable them to navigate...

Fostering community development through integrated approaches is part of the mandate of the Social Development Commission (SDC). Through its Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP), the SDC has helped countless community groups and individuals turn their passions and ideas into productive grassroots businesses that sustain livelihoods and contribute to economic development and employment. One such grassroots venture is Fiona’s Fashion,...

Head of the Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) in St. James, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Yvonne Whyte-Powell, says the relationship between the police and residents in sections of Salt Spring, St. James, has seen a vast improvement. She says police-citizen relations are being repaired through social intervention programmes, including a breakfast feeding programme, an annual youth summer camp started...