The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, through its Possibility Ministries, has come to the aid of the disabled community with the donation of 10 wheelchairs.

The wheelchairs were donated to the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities at a special Assistive Technology and Health symposium, held recently at the Andrews Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kingston.

The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Jamaica Union Conference, Andrews Memorial Hospital and Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries.

Adrian Cotterell, director of Possibility Ministries for the Adventist Church in Jamaica, who spoke at the event told the gathering that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica has given out 50 wheelchairs annually over the past few years at a cost of more than J$25 million (about US$160,000). 

According to him, “this year, we are partnering with Andrews Memorial Hospital to give out another 150 wheelchairs totaling over nine million Jamaican dollars [about US$57,000.” The ministry has also distributed dozens of walkers, crutches, canes, computers and gift vouchers every year. 

During his address to the gathering, Donmayne Gyles, chief executive of Andrews Memorial Hospital, commended regional leaders of the Adventist Church’s East Jamaica Conference and the Jamaica Union for collaborating with them in their 80th year of impacting lives in Jamaica.

For his part, director at the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, Adrienne Pinnock highlighted that “this collaborative event signifies the coming together of faith, compassion, and service to our community”.

“The whole concept is aimed at bringing hope, healing, and transformative change to individuals in need within our society. I believe I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is a testament to our shared commitment to making a positive impact upon the lives of others,” added Pinnock.

In his devotional charge, communication director of the Jamaica Union, Nigel Coke emphasised that, “caring for the blind, the physically immobile, those who have mental health challenges, orphans, vulnerable children, and those mourning the loss of a spouse and support of caregivers is not an option for the Seventh-day Adventist Church but an imperative….church people must have empathy for those who are in need.” 

He stressed that the poor are placed among us “to test our compassion, and we must always show kindness.”