Retirees urged to become volunteers
JEAN-PHILIPPE Beyer, managing director of J Wray & Nephew (JWN), yesterday urged members of the company’s pension scheme to become volunteers for its foundation.
The JWN Foundation, whose mission is ‘transforming lives and communities for a better Jamaica’, was established in 2012. It focuses its activities in the areas surrounding its operations at Spanish Town Road in Kingston, New Yarmouth in Clarendon and Appleton Estate in St James.
Beyer pointed to the “new challenges” that now require greater and wholesome support, while making his rallying call at the Pensioners’ Luncheon, which was hosted by the JWN Foundation at Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston, yesterday, a release from JWN said.
“In 2017, the foundation reminded us of our collective responsibility to give back by first being good neighbours. It established focus areas, which are relevant to the social challenges being faced by Jamaica,” Beyer related, highlighting the foundation’s focus areas of social inclusion, education and culture.
“In 2018, the JWN Foundation is issuing a new challenge, that of getting involved and encouraging us like the Methodist faith, so often quoted by Hillary Clinton, to ‘do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can’,” Beyer is quoted as saying in the release.
He continued: “We see the involvement of you, our pensioners, our extended family, as one way of broadening our impact and benefiting from your experience, creativity and partnership.
“The activities that the foundation will pursue in 2018 are important to the growth of our people, the same community members who have supported us throughout the years. Join us in realising the foundation’s mission of transforming lives and communities for a better Jamaica,” Beyer challenged.
According to the release, education was a key focus for the foundation last year, with the quadrupling of community scholarships from 25 to 100 for secondary and tertiary students.
In the meantime, Mark McDonald, senior finance director JWN and JWN foundation director, said there will be improvements in this area.
He said: “The foundation’s scholarship programme took a more strategic approach and announced a five-year target that will see annual scholarships to the communities moving from 25 to over 200.”
Activities connected to education have elevated the requirements for volunteerism, the release said, which McDonald also championed.
McDonald thanked the retirees for their “countless hours”of contribution to JWN and explained further that “our lives are defined by what we give”.
He challenged: “We are encouraging you to continue to make a life post-retirement by becoming a volunteer with the JWN Foundation.”