Youth State Minister Extends Condolence to Family of Kimberly Risden
By: , April 25, 2018The Key Point:
Photo: Dave Reid
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green (left); and Chief Executive Officer, Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Rosalee Gage-Grey, observing art pieces created in memory of the late Kimberly Risden by girls at Summerfield Child Care Facility in Clarendon, on Tuesday, April 24.The Facts
- Ms. Risden, an employee of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), died in a motor-vehicle crash on the Sevens Estate Main Road in Clarendon on Friday (April 20). Her five-year-old son, who was also in the vehicle, survived the crash.
- Mr. Green visited the Summerfield Child Care Facility in Clarendon on Tuesday (April 24), where Ms. Risden was assigned before her death, and offered words of comfort to the administrators who work at the facility and the girls who live there.
The Full Story
State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Floyd Green, has expressed condolences to the family members, colleagues and the children in State care who have been impacted by the sudden loss of 30-year-old Kimberly Risden.
Ms. Risden, an employee of the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), died in a motor-vehicle crash on the Sevens Estate Main Road in Clarendon on Friday (April 20). Her five-year-old son, who was also in the vehicle, survived the crash.
Mr. Green visited the Summerfield Child Care Facility in Clarendon on Tuesday (April 24), where Ms. Risden was assigned before her death, and offered words of comfort to the administrators who work at the facility and the girls who live there.
“It is a tremendous blow to our childcare services, and we continue to extend condolences to the family, the staff and children here,” Mr. Green told JIS News.
“Ms. Risden was a very dedicated employee who worked a lot with the Summerfield Child Care Facility and St. Augustine Place of Safety, especially Summerfield. In fact, she has been leading the charge [since] we recognised that there were some issues here, to see how we could resolve those issues, and we thought it important to come and spend some time with the girls and let them know they are not alone,” he added.
A team from the CPFSA was also present to comfort the girls and the administrators, while they also grieved the loss of their colleague.
“We’ve also brought in professional support. There’s a counsellor here who will be working with the girls and the staff who have been impacted,” Mr. Green told JIS News.
The girls and the administrators were encouraged to illustrate their feelings of pain and hurt in the form of creative writing, which Mr. Green observed and read.
“The girls have penned their own messages and feelings to Ms. Risden, and once you’ve read them, you realise that she was well-loved by the girls here, and really appreciated,” he said.