Students from Holy Family Primary and Infant School joined volunteers from Citi Jamaica on June 8 for an inspiring and fun-filled day at Hope Botanical Gardens as part of Citi’s Global Community Day activities.

This annual day of service sees the financial institution helping to build thriving communities, enabling growth and progress. As a global company, volunteerism is a key way that Citi delivers on its mission to enable economic growth and progress at the local level.

Citi and United Way of Jamaica (UWJ) collaborated to provide 30 vision/dream boards for 30 grade five students from Holy Family Primary and Infant School. The initiative aimed to inspire the young participants to envision their future goals and aspirations with the theme ‘Dream Big!‘.

The event was enriched by the presence of an art therapist who guided the students through the creative process of making their vision boards. Citi employees, along with their families and friends, volunteered their time to support the activity, highlighting the bank’s commitment to community involvement and youth development.

Citi country officer Eva Lewis expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative.

“At Citi, we believe in the power of primary education and the importance of nurturing young minds to support the growth of the next generation of leaders. It’s so inspiring to see the kids here today taking their creativity and innovative skills and placing them on a vision board that reflects themselves,” she noted.

UWJ’s Stephi-Ann Wray from United Way Jamaica also shared her thoughts on the collaboration. “We aim to inspire children to envision their future aspirations and pursue their dreams in various aspects of life, including career, sports, academics, and family. Our partnership with Citi for Global Community Day offers a fantastic opportunity to provide these students with an enriching and enjoyable experience. Through the creation of vision boards and interactions with Citi Volunteers who serve as successful role models in their respective fields, we aim to empower children to see the possibilities and potential of their future paths.”

The event also featured a variety of enjoyable activities, including face painting, dancing, a bounce house, a trampoline, hotdogs, snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy. These attractions ensured a lively and memorable day for all participants.

Holy Family Primary and Infant School teacher, Kirstan Webb, articulated her appreciation stating, “It’s great. I love these types of uplifting activities; it should impact them in a great way, and they even get to take home and continue to reflect on their vision boards as they grow and work to achieve their goals.” 

“With our Global Community Day initiative, we are reminding the young students about the importance of dreaming big and setting targets,” added Lewis. “We wanted a session that required the enthusiastic volunteers from Citi to be hands-on and engaged with the students. Based on the delight of the children by the end of the day, we can say we were successful in creating a lasting core memory. I also want to wish the rest of my colleagues across the world, in the Citi franchises, who will also celebrate Global Community Day, during the month of June, a happy Global Community Day.”

The annual Global Community Day exemplifies the power of collaboration and community spirit. The volunteering events, connections and stories that are part of Global Community Day each year are a celebration of the positive impact we have when we leverage our time, skills, and talent.