Church, Hands Across Jamaica reach out to Best Care Home
THE New Jerusalem Church in New York, in collaboration with Hands Across Jamaica for Righteousness, on Tuesday replaced windows which were damaged during Hurricane Ivan just over two years ago at the Best Care Children’s Home in Kingston.
The damaged windows had posed a great security risk to staff and residents of the home.
Alice Gordon, administrator of the home, yesterday welcomed the much-needed assistance in replacing the windows, saying the home was situated in close proximity to a ‘danger zone’. “We have had some ‘coke heads’ in the vicinity and when we raised 500 layer chickens they came in and stole the eggs,” she said, in pointing out the security problems affecting the home.
Gordon said the home’s two donated computers were stored in the occupation therapy room, which had missing window blades.
She said although the Office of the Prime Minister had responded to her appeal to have the entire building repaired after Ivan, she was always bothered that the windows were not fixed. She added that she was therefore more than delighted when Hands Across Jamaica for Righteousness approached the home, offering their assistance. “Just when I was contemplating who else to beg some donation to fix it they approach us and ask what they could do to help,” she said.
The 43 physically challenged residents of the home, aged six to 33 years, who are all wards of the state, were also treated yesterday to a luncheon by members of Hands Across Jamaica For Righteousness team, which included persons from the Diaspora in Canada and the United States.
In the meantime, Gordon said that caring for the children who have both mental and physical disabilities can be a challenging one which required a lot of love. She, however, had high commendation for her staff, in particular Mary Bowes, an occupation therapist. “This lady is God sent to us and no money could pay her,” Gordon said.
Yesterday, Yvonne Coke, the founder and managing director of Hands Across Jamaica for Righteousness, said the decision to offer service to various children’s homes and infirmaries was only a response to the line of the National anthem – ‘strengthen us the weak to cherish’. “It is showing of our responsibility to really strengthen the weak among us,” she said
As part of this year’s Homecoming 2006/7 under the banner “Eternal father bless our land…bring the family back,” Coke said Jamaica’s Motto Anthem and Pledge (MAP) demand that they give of themselves in service as they did yesterday at the Best Care Children’s Home.
Hands Across Jamaica, as part of its homecoming celebrations this week, will be holding a number of activities, including daily prayers at Emancipation Park in Kingston.
Bishop Altamont Blackwood, minister of the New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ Apostolic, said he was glad for the opportunity to give back to Jamaica and that on his return to New York, he will be urging his congregation, 95 per cent of whom are Jamaicans, to do likewise.
Claudette Cameron-Stewart, who resides in Canada, said she and other members of the Diaspora were committed to giving the necessary help to Jamaica through Hands Across Jamaica for Righteousness. “I am so overwhelmed by what I am seeing here,” she said. “And my faith in Christ demands that I do something like this,” she said.
Dr Gilda Webb-Price of the Mywin Evangelistic Ministry, New York, said having helped people all over Africa since the early 1990s, she was not aware of the great needs which existed at homes like Best Care. “We have gone in and send the children barrel upon barrels of stuff through my ministry, and from this point on Best Care will be on my list as far as donation and anything that I can do,” she said.
She added that she is committed to kingdom building to build God’s Kingdom on earth through service to others.
Hands Across Jamaica’s Homecoming, which began on October 14 and slated to end on October 21, includes daily morning prayers at Emancipation Park, a children’s rally, a family expo, community walks, public lectures, workdays, while donations are to be made during the week to children’s homes, schools, infirmaries, libraries and hospitals.