The Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth branch of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, is the recipient of needed furniture and equipment that will outfit the newly constructed centre, which provides educational and counselling support to pregnant girls and adolescent mothers under 17 years old.

The centre received chairs and tables for its classrooms; laptops, a printer and a television set; cribs for the nursery; a refrigerator and microwave for the kitchen, along with paintings and an office filing cabinet.

Donna Burton, centre manager at the Santa Cruz branch, in expressing gratitude for the donations, said the equipment and furniture would enhance the services of the centre.

“I am thrilled, I am overjoyed and so happy for the donations,” she said, noting that the building is centrally located to serve the majority of the young ladies, who are from Santa Cruz and its environs. Marva Edwards of the JN Circle Santa Cruz chapter said the JN Circle was happy to recommend
the centre for grant funding. “The Santa Cruz Circle is committed to working and making a
positive difference in the lives of people and the environment in which we reside. One of the
goals is to identify needs and galvanize the necessary resources to satisfy those needs,” she
said.

Edwards informed that the JN Circle did not hesitate to recommend the centre for grant funding when the JN Foundation opened applications for proposals.

“We immediately identified the Women’s Centre – an educational institution that focuses on giving high school drop-outs a second chance to fulfil their potential and make meaningful contributions to their own life and to the society at large,” she disclosed.

Lorna Sinclair, business relationship and sales manager for the JN Bank, Santa Cruz and Junction branches, said the JN Group, through the JN Foundation and the JN Circle, was happy to be associated with the donation as it is about giving back to the community in which it does business.

BUILDING THE COMMUNITY

“At the JN Group we are about community development and enriching the lives of individuals in whatever way we can. We pride ourselves in saying ‘we put people first’ as we seek to build relationships and leverage resources,” she said.

“We have to help to build the community in which we operate,” she said, pointing out that, over
the years, the JN team has undertaken several projects in the parish through the former JN Bank Member Advisory Committee, and now the JN Circle. Dawnette Pryce-Thompson, project coordinator at the JN Foundation, said the organisation was committed to fulfilling the needs of the centre.

“We are happy that the young ladies who the centre serves will be able to learn in comfort as they continue their education,” she said.

The JN Foundation last year issued a call for proposals for projects that will improve communities. The Foundation committed $1.5 million in financing available for each project.

Seven projects were awarded grants. The projects covered a range of social development, education and health initiatives in communities across six parishes.