The JN Member Advisory Councils (MAC), formerly called the Branch Advisory Councils were established across the JNBS branch network in 2006, to provide an avenue through which JN members and employees could

become active participants in the enhancement of the communities in which they live and work.

In carrying out the corporate social responsibility of JNBS with funding and technical support from the JNBS Foundation, the volunteer-driven MACs are responsible for the identification of projects, which they feel will have significant impact on development at the community level. The MACs assist by providing sustainable solutions to meet the specific needs of each community with the goal of improving the lives of its citizens.

In 2010, MAC’s were established in the eight JN Money Shops across the island. Each MAC committee is comprised of six persons: the Branch Manager, one member of staff and four external members. Over the past five years, the Member Advisory Council (MAC) has provided grant funding for some 280 community projects across Jamaica.

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2011

INNOVATINGINSPIRINGIMPACTING

Members of JNBS Lead with Act!on

Vegetable Garden to Boost Feeding Programme at St. Hugh’s

KINGSTON: Studies have long shown that children who eat breakfast perform better on cognitive tests and in school. Yet, for the 40% of students at the St. Hugh’s High School for Girls who reside outside of the corporate area, “breakfast would often be sacrificed for arriving at school on time,” said Denise Gardiner, Head of the Home Economics Department.

More than ten years ago, the High School’s Breakfast Programme was established to provide a healthy variety of food choices and allow students to benefit from ‘the most important meal of the day’.

In attempting to further improve the breakfast menu, the Home Economics Department at the school applied for funding from the JN Foundation’s Member Advisory Council (MAC), New Kingston Branch, to establish an organic vegetable garden.

With the $97,000 grant from the MAC, a high-tech irrigation system has been installed to feed the variety of seeds, seedlings and plants including tomatoes, callaloo, sweet peppers, lettuce, corn, peppers, thyme, scallion, chives, green bananas and cabbage planted in the garden.

“We hope that the garden will become the main supply of crops and produce to fuel the ingredient stock of the breakfast programme,” Mrs. Gardiner said, adding that in addition to growing what they eat and eating what they grow, the garden will serve as a school community project, with participation and ownership at both

the staff and student levels, particularly from student volunteers and the Wellness Club.

Educating its approximately 1600 students on safe and healthy food, and encouraging proper eating and nutrition practices, St. Hugh’s High is fostering healthier lifestyles among the student population, and by extension, will positively impact their families and the communities in which they live.

Video Stories Foster Youth ExpressionLennox Hales is a tall, lean 21 year-old male, with a smile that

can light up any room. He offers his smiles freely now, as his troubled past no longer has a stronghold on his outlook on life. Lennox was once an angry teen whose suppressed emotions and unhealthy associations, led him to commit a violent act that resulted in a loss of his freedom at the tender age of 17.

On his return home, Lennox was introduced to the The Healthy Ones Lifestyle Youth (H.O.L.Y) Network and its Director, the Reverend Daval James Bell. Lennox now believes that meeting was fate. “Uncle

James has been an inspiration in my life. He encouraged me to try new things and I’m grateful for the faith he has in me.”

Lennox was one of 40 youngsters, between the ages of 13 and 21 who participated in the HOLY Network’s Adobe Youth Voices Media Literacy programme held between January and May. The programme trained students in the art of videography and photography as a means of therapy. The JN Foundation’s Member Advisory Council, Duke Street Branch, provided some $99,000 to purchase the video and still cameras for the project.

Using a holistic approach to social intervention, HOLY Network engages young people from inner-city communities in activities that seek to re-socialize, empower and equip them with the skills necessary to live as upstanding citizens, through the promotion of healthy lifestyles choices, as well as arts-based, spiritual and educational activities.

Four of those videos, which were written, directed, produced and edited by the youngsters were presented at a Media Exhibition during July. Lennox’s video “Anger Management” documents his journey and the events leading up to his metamorphosis from an out-of-control, and sad individual to the calm and confident person he is today.

Lennox is now a Youth Leader at the HOLY Network and will commence the CAP programme staring in September. His hope is that others will watch his video and learn from his story. With a bright smile Lennox concludes, “Change can happen. It’s all up to you. The only thing that you get as a human being is choice,”

*Visit our website at www.jnfoundation.com to view the videos.

Homework Centre for Tredegar Park SPANISH TOWN: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and the

citizens of Tredegar Park have openly embarked on this mission with the establishment of a Homework and Educational Centre at their newly renovated civic centre.

Racked by a reign of terror on their community, last year, rather than cowering in fear, the Tredegar Park Citizen’s Association is leading the way in the rebuilding their community with emphasis on the protection of the youth.

Assisting them in this quest is the JN Foundation’s Members Advisory Council, Spanish Town Branch, which has provided funding for computers, a copier, fax machine and a laminating machine. President Ms. Theresa Francis said that while homework assistance and remedial classes will be free as part of the sustainable component of the programme, they will be charging fees for the other services.

Come September, the Tredegar Park Homework and Educational Centre will open its door to give students and parents a safe space where constructive work will be done. Parents are welcoming this initiative as now, when asked: Do you know where your children are? They can answer with assurance - at the Homework & Educational Centre.

Just a few of the MAC projects for 2011

Lennox Hales, participant of Youth Voices Media Literacy Programme

A view of the Vegetable garden at St. Hugh’s High School

JN Members Bolster Police Community Relations

Maverley, Kingston: Sports and education have been facilitating more harmonious relations between the Police and residents of Maverley and its surrounding communities for almost two years, says Chad Morgan, Vice President of the Maverley Police Youth Club.

Since November 2009, Police personnel and young people between the ages of 7 and 31 have benefitted from sporting and educational activities that continue to “unify its members and attract others to the Club,” he said. Now 60 registered members strong, the Police Youth Club, which meets weekly, is moving to enhance its sports programme through the establishment of a multipurpose court in the Maverley Flowers Park.

With a $120,000 grant from Jamaica National Building Society’s (JNBS) Half-Way-Tree Branch, the court will be painted and equipped with backboards, hoops, nets and posts. The new court will officially be handed over to the Club on October 1.

“We expect that this project will enhance and uplift our community by way of providing infrastructural and human development through sports,” Mr. Morgan said, adding that, “Members of the Club and others in the community will be able to participate in basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton.”

Orett Douglas, Manager of JNBS Half-Way-Tree explains that the project was selected for funding by the JN Member Advisory Council (MAC), which exists in all 25 JNBS Branches and 8 Money Shops across the island. The Councils, he says, are comprised of members of the Building Society and JNBS branch employees.

“The MAC gives JN members and employees the opportunity to select and support worthwhile initiatives within the communities in which we live and work, with funding from the JNBS Foundation,” he said adding that, the Members of the Half-Way-Tree Branch were delighted to equip the Maverley Police Youth Club.

“In addition to the anticipated improvements in Police-community relations, we look forward to other outcomes such as increased team work, sportsmanship and character building among youth, which will be fostered through interclub and interdivisional games and playoffs,” he said.

Saffrey Brown, General Manager of the JNBS Foundation commented on the Building Society’s successful relationship with the

community over the past few years, noting that JNBS has been a firm supporter of Club since its inception.

Ms. Brown said that meetings of the Police Youth Club are accommodated in facilities provided by ‘The Source Maverley’, also located in the Maverley Flowers Park. The Source, she expanded, is the second in a chain of five all-inclusive community resource centres established by JNBS to provide access to a wide range of business and social services in underserved communities across the island.

With funding from the Jamaica Automobile Association, The Source in Maverley, which was opened in February 2008, as a social enterprise franchise, is now managed by civic partners the Maverley Consultative Committee and serves approximately 50,000 people in Marverly and the surrounding communities of Drewsland, Hughenden, and Glendale.

“Like The Source, the Maverley Police Youth Club has demonstrated that community participation is critical to the development and success of community initiatives. The Source was built and is maintained with much sweat equity from residents and I am confident that the same will apply with the new multipurpose court in bringing further development to the community.”

Queensbury Tamarind Tree craft

Nestled in the community of Queensbury, St. Elizabeth a group of

creative persons have come together to form the Queensbury Tamarind Tree Craft Group. Utilizing local materials such as beads and straw, the group’s production will now be further enhanced with a

donation from the Junction MAC which will see them buying more tools as well as training new members in the art of their craft.

Members of JNBS Papine Branch Upgrade Facilities at local school

Mavis Bank, St. Andrew: Students at the Mount Fletcher Primary School started the new Christmas school term with upgraded restroom facilities courtesy of the members of the Jamaica National Building Society’s (JNBS) Papine Branch, says the school’s Principal Ena Spaulding.

Situated above Mavis Bank in the Blue Mountains, the school which was founded in 1842, is now equipped to improve health, lifestyle and sanitation standards for its approximately 300 students between grades 1 to six, she said.

“The new flush toilets and other renovated facilities for both the girls and the boys has created a more comfortable learning environment right in time for the new year. It is a improvement from which the entire school population benefits and we thank Jamaica National and the members of the Papine Branch for their generosity,” the Principal added.

At a small handover ceremony held at the school on September 1, Saffrey Brown, General Manager of the JNBS Foundation explained that the school was selected for the $155,000 grant on a recommendation from the JN Member

“In every JNBS Branch and JN Money Shop, a group of JN Members and employees convene to select projects in their local communities with funding support from the JN Foundation. The project at Mount Fletcher Primary is one of 50 projects undertaken by the MAC this year.

“We believe that local groups are best suited to determine the needs of their communities, and the MAC serves to help us ensure that Jamaica National and its members can reach far and wide in providing community development support across the island,” Ms. Brown added.

Branch Manager at JNBS’ Papine, Jacqueline Robotham said the members of the JNBS Papine Branch were delighted

to undertake the project at Mount Fletcher Primary and she encouraged the submission of new projects for funding in the next cycle.

Mrs. Robotham described the process of applying for an MAC grant. “Anyone who holds a bank account at Jamaica National Building Society is a member, and therefore can apply to their local Branch MAC for funding to support a community project.”

MAC application forms are available at all 25 JN branches and 8 JN Money Shops across the island, she added.

In his closing remarks at the handover event, Kermit McGann, Chairman of the School Board at Mount Fletcher Primary reminded students of their responsibility in taking care of the facilities that serve them. “JN has graciously allowed us to upgrade the facilities, it is now up to us to ensure that they are maintained and kept clean.”

Ena Spaulding, Principal of Mount Fletcher Primary School, beams a welcoming smile

Teen Challenge Drug Rehab gets computers

Teen Challenge Drug Rehab gets computers

Getting a chance to quit ones drug habit and start anew is accessible to anyone 15 years and over who so desires at the Teen Challenge Jamaica Drug Rehabilitation Unit in Ocho Rios St. Ann. With the computers donated

to the group by the Ocho Rios MAC their mission of changing “one life at a time” will be made a lot easier as they continue their outreach with persons with “substance abuse and other life controlling problems.”

Windsor’s girls excitedThe mostly teenage girls at the

Windsor Child Care Facility in St. Ann’s

Bay are excited about the revamping of the Cosmetology at the institution which was made possible with grant funding from the JN Foundation’s MAC St. Ann’s Bay Branch. Hair, nails, toes, face and more hair will be the focus as they

From health to

economics

New light shines at Dental ClinicBeautiful smiles from patients using the Raymond’s Health Clinic in Clarendon are all around as news spread that the dental lights will shine, once again, at the Dental Unit. With funding from the May Pen Branch Members Advisory Council the Unit team, which had challenges in carrying out their work, is now happy that they can continue to light up the mouths of patients with the acquisition of a new dental light.

Kiddies sections at two libraries get MAC nodLittle kids take to the computer like ducks to water and the kiddies section of the St. Mary Parish Library will attract many children with the new computer donated by MAC Port Maria. On the other side of the island, at the Junction library, the little ones will get bean bags and computer software to help improve their competency in Mathematics and English.

Water to flow again in community tankTired of the water woes in their community, the Endeavour Community Initiative Group, took their appeal for help to the Brown’s Town MAC. Helping them find a way with the requisite funding, it’s now on to the task of restoring the public tank which used to, and will now, benefit the community during the dry months.

Something fishySomething fishy is going on at the Fellowship Primary and Junior High School and the Port Antonio MAC is responsible for funding the setting up of a fish farm at the school to raise and supply tilapia on a sustainable basis.

Mind and body coordinationWith the establishment of a Chess and Tennis Club, teachers at the Ascot High School are using mind and body coordination in their Intervention Programme. Already, the response by the students is positive. Branch Manager of JNBS Portmore Troy Bygrave and his MAC team, on a recent visit to the school, were pleased when they saw how enthused and involved the participants were.

MAC funds bus shed for Bath Community

Although the Bath Community in St. Thomas is renowned for its Bath Fountain Mineral Spring, the mostly pedestrian citizens awaiting public transportation daily, have to stand in the scorching sun or seek shelter in private homes when it rains.

This will end soon when the finishing touches are done on the bus shed, currently under construction by members and volunteers from the Bath Community Concerned Citizen Association, with funding from the JN Foundation’s Members Advisory Council, Morant Bay Branch.

“We are expecting about 100 persons to turn up with their tools: spades, buckets, shovels, paint brushes and wheel barrows, whatever they have so we can finish the bus shed which has already started,” stated President Mr. Dudley Roberts. Mr. Roberts is a JN member, who sees this project as a community response to a community problem.

Mr. Roberts said the National Works Agency and the Parish Council have made their input, given approval for the excavation, and the steel laying work has been completed. The concrete structure will also have seating for maximum comfort.

Ideally located across from the Bath Primary & Junior High and the Police Station beside the health centre, as well as in close proximity to the market and the Bath Botanical Garden, the bus shed will be heavily utilized by the 2,216 members of the Bath Community.

Mr. Roberts is encouraging others to apply to the MAC, as this project became a reality after he saw the MAC poster, when standing in line at JN one

day. He enquired and was given an application form to fill out. His Association was pleased when they were awarded the $100,000 toward the project, which is already galvanizing the spirit of volunteerism in the community.

Safety at Frenchman’s BayThey are not French but they spend most of their days getting in and out of Frenchman’s Bay in picturesque Treasure Beach. The fisher folks

of this quaint fishing village care about their environment and the safety of all those who utilize the beach. With this is in mind, the Frenchman Fisher Folks will be erecting a life guard station and placing garbage bins along the beach to ensure that their mission of having the safest and cleanest Bay on the South coast becomes a reality, now that they have been given MAC funding from the Junction Branch to make this a reality.

Playground equipment for Davis Primary “My school has no monkey bar, see-saw, swing or slide so recess is boring” says bright-eyed 9 year-old Genel Williamson of Davis Primary School in Old Harbour, St Catherine. Genel was visiting the Old Harbour Money Shop and jumped at the opportunity to POST FOR ACT!ON and submit her request. She has made her Principal and fellow students proud for securing the funding to correct this oversight. Recess time will not be the same for the students of Davis Primary, thanks to little Genel with her big fun ideas.

Fisherfolk receive support from their local MAC

Who else did the MAC support in 2011?Who else did the MAC support in 2011?Who else did the MAC support in 2011?Who else did the MAC support in 2011?

WestmorelandWestmoreland Horticultural SocietyY-Menettes Service ClubGrotto Community Development Council

HanoverHanover Chamber of Commerce

St. JamesKiwanis Club Freeport Covenant of Peace

St. AnnTeen ChallengeSt. Ann InfirmaryEndeavour Community Group

St. ThomasFont Hill 4-H Youth & Community AssociationBath Community Concerned Citizens association

St. MaryPort Maria HospitalPort Maria United ChurchSt. Mary Parish LibraryYouth of Unity Ministry

PortlandLORBS Let Youth CommitteeFellowship Primary and Jr HighBuff Bay Youth Development Entertainment Committee

St. AndrewMarverly Police Youth ClubBraves Basketball ClubMt. Fletcher Primary SchoolSt. Hugh's High SchoolMountain View Community Development Council

KingstonRaeTown Raptors Basketball ClubH.O.L.Y NetworkParade Gardens Community Development CouncilLeo Club of Downtown KingstonLiberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey

St. CatherineGreater Portmore Basic SchoolAscot High SchoolGreater Portmore Health CentreTredegar Park Citizens' AssociationLime Walk Police Youth ClubLinstead CBO Future Generation Basic School

ClarendonMay Pen Hospital Anesthetics DepartmentRaymonds Health CentreJCF Community Safety & Security Branch- Clarendon DivisionDenbigh Crescent Progressive Youths

ManchesterPercy Junior HospitalBellefield PrimaryHuntley Primary SchoolChristiana Leased Primary & Infant School

St. ElizabethNew Castle Youth LinkSanta Cruz PoliceSouth St. Elizabeth Returned Resident GroupQueensbury Citizens AssociationSt. Elizabeth Parish LibraryFrenchman's Fisher Folks

A few of our favourites from back in the dayGranville Jonkunnu Band brings revelry to the streets Montego Bay, St. James: When a Jonkunnu (Jonkanoo) Band comes out to play everybody joins in the fun. Funding from the MAC has brought revelry to the streets of the volatile community of Granville with the revival of this cultural tradition. Christmas and New Year’s Eve belonged to the Granville Jonkunnu Band with all the colourfully masked gyrating traditional figures punctuated with the distinct sound of the bamboo fifes and Kette drums.

Infant warmer for Jubilee Hospital Downtown, Kingston: The Jubilee Maternity Hospital got a boost to its

antenatal care with the donation of an Infant Warmer by the Duke Street MAC. The hospital, which has the busiest maternity ward in the island, welcomed this critical equipment.

Revolving pigs empowers community May Pen, Clarendon: Avenues for employment are scarce in most rural communities so residents are always looking for ways to empower themselves. The Lionel Town Community Development Group, through funding from the MAC, has found a sustainable formula to empower their community. The Group, with the purchase of two pigs, has started a revolving scheme whereby each litter will be shared among members who are interested in pig rearing. The group is also rearing chickens, which after six weeks are ready for the market. The quick turn-around profit from

this venture is being used to cover operational costs.

Solar water heaters for Infirmary Morant Bay, St. Thomas: The life of the residents and staff at the Morant Bay Infirmary has become more comfortable with the installation of three solar water heaters. The MAC Members are pleased with this project as after the initial installation cost, there has been no additional expenditure for this necessary alternate source of energy. “We are using what God has blessed Jamaica with - sunshine - to bring comfort to the most needy in our society,”

MAC - Summer of Arts and Culture for Inner-city Youth

“Education is the medium by which a people are prepared for the advancement of their own particular civilization” ………“ Art is the highest for of expression of human intelligence.”

Jamaica’s first National Hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, used his ideologies to inspire action among people to enlighten themselves about their own cultural identity through education and the arts.

Garvey’s legacy lives on at Liberty Hall at 76 King Street, where more than 51 children between the ages of seven and 17, participated in a Summer Arts programme aimed at providing a safe place environment for creative self-expression.

With a $120,000 grant from the JN Foundation’s Member Advisory, Duke Street Branch, the camp was open, free of cost, to children residing in the surrounding inner-city communities of Kingston, including Fletcher’s Land, Love Lane, Matthews Lane, Charles Street, Tivoli Gardens and Seaview Gardens during July and August.

In addition to learning various visual art forms, participants were taught how to design exhibitions with art pieces representing

their own living spaces and aspects of their communities that they love or would like to see improved. They created books under the theme “All about me” that included their favourite things and wrote poems that built self-esteem by celebrating what they love about themselves.

11-year –old Alyssa Grizzle of Vauxhaul High School says that she had a “wonderful” time at the summer camp this year, which she described as “energetic and fun”. “We did a lot of art, and learned much about Marcus Garvey and our Jamaican and African culture. We also went to some interesting places on our field trips and made new friends,” she added.

A blast from the

past...... Check out

some of the past

organisations

supported through

the MAC ProgrammeAnnotto Bay HospitalBamboo Branch LibrarySpalding Training & Skill CentreChudleigh Park Basic SchoolH.O.L.Y. NetworkV.P.A.'s Learning for Life/ Learning Networks Programme

Basket & Tings TrainingSecuring Falmouth Gardens ECIDerry primaryMount Angus PrimaryLabyrinth PrimaryLittle Einstein Learning CentreMustards Seeds CommunitiesDiabetic AssociationBallard's Valley PrimaryJunction Police StationSt. Elizabeth Health Care CentreBull Sav Primary SchoolLinstead Police StationLinstead PrimaryTop Jackson All AgeAxe & Adze Culinary Arts ProjectHanover PDCHanover Education Training InstituteHanover Mediation CenterBellefield/ Williamsfield Skills Training CentrePeace in Life Ministries

Lionel Town Community Development CouncilPondtop Early Childhood PreparatoryFoundation Preparatory SchoolBurchell BaptistEREA Boys ConferenceParenting Centre FlankersPaul Bogle Ancestral SiteAglow InternationalSandy Park Basic SchoolJohn Mills Infant, Primary SchoolShady Grove Basic SchoolFort Augusta Women's Correctional CentreOcho Rios Health CentreSkills Training CentreHope Valley School ExperimentalAugust Town Chicken Coop Lister Mair Gibly School for the DeafDrapers All Age SchoolPort Antonio High SchoolMaroon Town

And in other JN Foundation

news.....

‘The Source August Town’ is offically handed over to UWI

Located in the hills of St. Andrew, above the Liguanea plains, is the community of August Town. Since being named in celebration of the emancipation of slavery on August 1, 1838, the community has enjoyed a rich history of firsts, as well as a somewhat volatile past.

In April 2007, August Town became the pilot for an innovative community resource centre called ‘The Source’, developed by the Jamaica National Building Society. Collaborating with The University of the West Indies (UWI) Township Project and other partners including the Jamaica Business Development Corporation, the centre provides a platform for sustainable economic and social development in the under-served community.

“The Source had an immediate impact on the August Town Community, as young people, unemployed adults, and budding entrepreneurs entered its door and discovered a world that could take them to other places, seamlessly in our global village; and assist them, not only to realise their immediate dreams; but, to dream bigger dreams,” explains Earl Jarrett, Chairman of the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation.

On August 9, 2011, after four years under the management of JNBS Foundation, The Source August Town was handed over to The UWI Township Project and re-named The UWI Mona Source. The official ceremony, which also saw the opening of the Barry Chevannes Fathers’ Inc. Resource Centre next door to The Source in Bryce Hill Plaza, was held in honour of the late Professor Barry Chevannes who led UWI’s contribution on both initiatives.

The overwhelming success of the August Town centre allowed JNBS to replicate the social enterprise franchise and provide residents of other communities with similar access to business and social services, starting in 2008. The Source exists in Maverly, St. Andrew; Ocho Rios, St. Ann and Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth and the fifth centre in the chain is set to be opened later this year, in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

The August Town centre is the third centre to be handed over to its civic partner. Both the Ocho Rios and Maverly centres were earlier this year, handed over to the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce and the Maverly Consultative Committee, respectively.

Speaking to the growth of the initiative, Mr. Jarrett concluded, “I continue to be inspired by the ability of The Source to grow, morph and reinvent itself to serve the development needs of sometimes volatile; but, mostly marginalized communities; and, to empower young people and adults to transform the social and economic fabric of their lives.”

Saffrey Brown, JN Foundation; Dr. Olivene Burke and Professor Gordon Shirley, UWI; Mr. Earl Jarrett, Chairman of JN Foundation at the official handover ceremony

How to find us.JNBS Foundation 32 1/2 Duke Street, Kingston CSO Phone: 876 922 4931 Fax: 876 922 4777

E mail: foundation@jnbs.com Website: www.jnfoundation.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/JNFoundation Twitter: http://twitter.com/JNFoundation