James and Friends Education Programme bears fruit
Published:Saturday | January 21, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Horace Fisher, Gleaner Writer
MAY PEN, Clarendon:OTIS JAMES, a 30-year-old philanthropist who grew up harbouring dreams of becoming a mathematics teacher, has abandoned that plan but is still contributing to the development of students through the James and Friends Education Programme.
The programme currently sends some 70 needy students in Clarendon to school.
James, a plumber by profession, started the James and Friends Education Programme from his own income at age 23 with 10 children.
"When I went to the business people in Clarendon, to seek sponsorship for the programme, is pure promises and runaround I got, but the three sponsors that I initially secured encouraged me, so I stuck to the task," reflected James, who hails from the tough Farm community in May Pen.
Eventually, additional sponsors came on-board, including Member of Parliament Mike Henry, Big Sister, Garth Young, Sinclair's Bargain Centre, Young's Sports, Joan Wint, Gregory Prince, Wayne Brown, House of Wills, Epic Construction Company, Fabric Plus, Tait's Pharmacy, Fine Prints, People's Favourite Bakery, Father Dane, and Homar's Roti and Grill.
With the additional sponsors, more needy children came calling. So running the programme became a major task for James, who was then single-handedly in charge of the programme.
"The sponsors would remit the funds weekly to me for the sponsored students. I would then drop off funds to the 70 kids while preparing reports for the sponsors, liaising with parents, teachers, guardians, and the chief mentor of the programme, while doing my plumbing jobs simultaneously," he told The Gleaner.
"It is a lot of work and time that I have to devote to the programme, but I am like a fruit tree whose purpose is to bear fruits. No matter how they tear the branches, or shake the limbs, the tree will still bear fruits. So no matter the challenges or the difficulties I face, I still have to serve the children," declared James.
endure hardship
He lost his father in a motor vehicle crash months after he was born. James admitted that the death of his father and the hardships he endured as a child watching his late mother struggling to put food on the table, coupled with his broken dreams of becoming a mathematics teacher motivated him to rescue as many children as he possibly could through education.
"What I have been through as a child is what is motivating me now to help these kids, and I believe that God deliberately put me through all of this so I can empathise with the kids and will seek to assist them, but I hope this year I will have at least 100 sponsored kids in the programme," James said.