JIS Motivates Mount Olivet Boys

The 25 residents of the Manchester-based Mount Olivet Boys’ Home have been inspired to pursue a more meaningful future.
More than 23 staff members at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), some of whom have received mentorship training, visited the home on Saturday
(March 27), where they engaged the boys in motivational sessions and other fun-filled activities.

Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Mrs. Donna Marie Rowe (left), accepts a donation of snacks for the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home from Customer Relations Officer at Continental Baking Company, Miss Julian Edwards. The handing over took place on March 25, ahead of the JIS’ March 27 visit to the Manchester-based home.

So inspirational and stimulating was the visit for both mentors and mentees, that by the end of the day, many of the boys were enquiring about the next visit, while the JIS team was eager to return.
“You (wanted) today, to show our mentees our care, how we love them, and how much we want to (guide) them,” said Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Mrs. Donna-Marie Rowe.
Chair of the JIS Outreach Committee, Miss Odette Barron, said that the day’s activities, which included lunch and gifts for the boys, was meaningful. “It was about discovering who our boys are – mentors knowing mentees, and mentees knowing mentors,” she said.

Payroll Clerk at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Karlene Moore, mentors a young man from the Mount Olivet Boys’ Home in Manchester. The JIS team visited the home on Saturday (March 27), where they held mentorship sessions with the boys and engaged them in fun-filled activities.

“When we return in June or July, we want to be able to build a programme to meet the needs of each boy here, so it was all about them, and to ensure that our next move will fit into their long-term development,” she added.
The home, which accommodates boys from troubled homes, age nine to 18 years, was adopted by the JIS last December and the boys were treated to gifts during the Christmas season.
However, the JIS decided to take the relationship further by pursuing an avenue that is more meaningful to the lives of the residents.
“It was a good day,” said Acting Director of the Home, Mr. Rudolf Brown. The future of our boys will be more secure with these types of interventions, and we greatly appreciate this. Remember it takes a village to raise a child,” he stated.
Corporate sponsorship for Saturday’s visit came from Continental Baking Company, Maxfield Bakery, Trade Winds Citrus, Supreme Outdoor Advertising and the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC).