Save-A-Youth Foundation to Assist Kidney Patients, Undertake National Blood Drive

The Save-A-Youth Foundation is looking to raise funds to assist three young kidney patients with dialysis treatment.

The support is among two major initiatives that the non-profit organisation intends to undertake in 2016. The other venture is a national blood drive to benefit hospitals.

Pastor Omar Oliphant, who spearheads Save-A-Youth, tells JIS News that the support for the kidney patients is to provide dialysis treatment for at least six months.

As it relates to the blood drive, he says the intention is to “raise the consciousness of our young people of the need to donate blood.”

The year-old Foundation was established to improve the social, physical, and psychological health of less fortunate young people.

“(For) young people, who are going through severe physical, mental or emotional pain or disease, we have created this Foundation to help individuals in raising funds to offset their medical expenses,” Pastor Oliphant says.

“Its impact is for individuals, young people especially, who have illnesses that need financial care and assistance,” he points out.

Pastor Oliphant notes that since its establishment, the Save-A-Youth Foundation has provided support in education, medical care and counselling, which have benefited young people in St. Ann and Trelawny.

Its first project was to help a scoliosis patient from St. Ann, who attends the Northern Caribbean University (NCU).

“(Her) spine was curved 22 degrees…so we actually assisted with medical expenses, therapy and the purchase of a brace. That amounted to just about $500,000,” Pastor Oliphant informs.

Funding was also provided to enable another student to sit examinations, and nebulisers for the treatment of asthma were purchased for the St. Ann’s Bay and the Falmouth hospitals.

“We bought three for each of the hospitals…the nebulisers cost over $200,000,” Pastor Oliphant informs.

He tells JIS News that the intention is to expand the benefits to other parishes and is encouraging Jamaican to support the work of the Foundation.

“We are impacting lives, we want to go larger. We want to be able to assist the young people,” Pastor Oliphant told JIS News.

Funding for the Foundation is raised through donations from individuals and companies.

Pastor Oliphant says young people have been very active in assisting with the cause.

Persons are invited to make their contributions to the Save-A-Youth Foundation at Account No. 924276, Bank of Nova Scotia, St. Ann’s Bay branch.

They can also visit the Foundation’s offices at Drax Hall in St. Ann.