Flair

As we continue to commemorate the Inter-American Year of Women, the Flair and the Bureau of Women's Affairs (BWA) would like to place the spotlight on a community advocate from St Thomas who is making a significant contribution to community development through volunteerism.

Verona Blair-O'Connor is an outstanding community advocate who has devoted a significant portion of her life to caring for people.

Born in St Catherine, she later moved to St Thomas where she lives and works in Retreat District. She has served in several capacities, and refers to herself as "a traveller". As a community volunteer, she has worked to improve the conditions of the residents in St Thomas, including her contribution as parish organiser for the National Council for Senior Citizens. She has conducted workshops in specialised areas such as culinary techniques, arts and craft, floral arrangements and other life skills to benefit elderly residents as well as the young. For her years of hard work, she has received several honours and awards including the Governor General's Award for community development.

From age 17, while still in St Catherine, she was able to organise a basic school in her community and later she worked as a pre-trained teacher. O'Connor pursued training in midwifery at Victoria Jubilee Hospital where she worked as a midwife for nine years. After relocating to St Thomas, she worked as a special education teacher at the Trinityville Secondary School and later at the Ministry of Youth and Culture as a field educator with day care units. That was followed by a two-year stint at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Since her retirement three years ago, she has continued to serve, working on numerous projects in promoting community development. She is presently involved in a farming project with assistance from the Rural Agricultural Development Authority. (RADA).

As parish officer, she plans and organises social programmes for the citizens and has worked for several years with the Social Development Commission (SDC). Presently, she is responsible for the implementation of an educational and entrepreneurial centre which provides assistance for persons to acquire training in literacy and culinary skills. She also serves as president of the Jamaica Association for the Advancement of Midlife Health in the parish.

Family life director

She is presently working with 15 young persons by helping in their transformation from a life of drug addiction to being reformed and productive. In the Seventh-day Adventist Church, where she's family life director, she has served in various capacities. She also has oversight responsibility for the senior citizens' club, initiating several projects that have significantly benefited them in the community.

O'Connor believes that women are much easier to motivate than men. She also thinks that men need to have more confidence. She attributes this to poor societal perception as well as pressure as a result of the sexual division of labour. Her advocacy within the community has given her a sense of satisfaction, especially when persons benefit from her ongoing efforts. She is optimistic and refuses to believe that "something cannot be done." She sees specific experiences as challenges, opportunities or life lessons. She identified one of her challenges as low participation in volunteer activities. She does not allow that to be a stumbling block. She opines that "as long as I remain focused and ask for help when needed, I will overcome these hurdles."

She identifies project planning and evaluation as pre-requisites for success. Her advice to persons who are interested in pursuing similar career paths is to demonstrate a love for people. She further advises that persons should not accept tasks merely for personal benefit, but should have a high regard for the recipients and the task they wish to accomplish. She recommends persons remain focused and engage in careful planning, maintain the right attitude, be calm and always give a helping hand to those in need.

She is married and enjoys support from her family, teachers and mentors. O'Connor is guided by the four D's: determination, dedication, devotion and discipline. She desires to pursue a Masters degree in Gerontology and a course in writing to enable her to do personalised publications in the near future.