Stephanie Elliott, Gleaner Writer
Clarendon:
BAUXITE COMPANY Jamalco awarded several of its workers who have volunteered 50 or more hours of community service at an award function held at the company's Halse Hall, Clarendon plant, last Thursday.
Among the awardees was Ewart Scott, a true volunteer who has contributed several hours out of his busy work schedule to assist the needy. The recipient of awards for volunteerism under the Jamalco's BRAVO and ACTION programme, Scott received recognition especially for his work with the Lions Club movement, to which he has contributed several hours at health centres in the parish to people in need of eye care.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Scott said he was proud of his achievement and encouraged people who would want a sense of fulfilment to join voluntary services. "If one should consider themselves fortunate, as I have, it is only fitting for them to give something back to society," he said.
But, volunteerism did not come after obtaining a job with Jamalco; it has always been in his blood. As far back as in the early 1980s, Scott recalled being a part of the Leo Club of Clarendon, where he contributed significantly to voluntary services before going over to the Lions Club in 1997. At Jamalco, he continued making his contribution to volunteerism when the company introduced the BRAVO and ACTION programme.
WHAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH
On a personal level, Scott said that volunteerism had given him the opportunity to be more outgoing, and more confident. He said he derived pleasure from being able to assist persons who were less fortunate than he was, and that he gained satisfaction when the services offered made a lasting difference in any one of these individuals. "As an individual you can accomplish so much, but as a group you can accomplish so much more," he said.
Scott's work is not confined to work with the Lions Club as far as volunteerism is concerned. He told The Gleaner that he is also chairman of the Alcoa Week of Service team, and had been a member for three years. Football, he said, is another area in which he had offered his services at a parish level, and had, through the programme, assisted in organising various competitions for teams in the parish.
For a person who obviously takes pride in what he does, Scott revealed that he believes that people truly give back to society when they volunteer themselves to those who are less fortunate. "When one can instead put meaningful programmes together and as the old adage says, 'teaching someone to fish, and not give a fish', satisfaction is derived from knowing that you have made a difference in at least one person's life."
The Alcoa Foundation Awards ceremony saw over thirty volunteers being recognised for their work in specialised areas, including The Glenmuir Preparatory School's driveway/pathway programme, the Denbigh/Kraal Citizens' Association and the New Town Phase II basic school project. The event was the first of its kind since the programme started three years ago. Awards were given for work done in 2004 and 2005. Each team was given US$3000 to begin and complete their projects.
