Overseas charities pool efforts to help J’can youth

As a child growing up in Porus, Manchester, Vassell Ogilvie and his family experienced hardships. However, it was his mother’s philanthropic deeds that inspired him to assist the less fortunate when he grew older.

“My family was not rich; however, we had strong moral values and my parents believed in education, and that was the most important thing at the time. When my mom migrated to Canada, I had to live with my aunt and it was hard. I missed my mother, but my father was always there taking care of us. I had to walk to school, and I did not have money for lunch for many days. It was difficult, but at the same time I felt like my parents did their best with what they had,” Ogilvie recalled.

Now residing in Poughkeepsie in New York, Ogilvie has inspired many with his acts of kindness and giving back.

“I sincerely believe in giving – I believe in the philosophy of giving – because when we give to others, we give of ourselves in support of another and, in turn, we receive in equal measure – blessings and prosperity. I have found giving to be successful for me in many ways in my personal life, both spiritually and physically,” said Ogilvie.

Recently, two prominent charitable organisations – The Friends of Porus Association, under the leadership of George Tulloch, and Give Back Jamaica, led by Dr Ev Richardson – combined their efforts to profoundly impact the lives of young Jamaicans.

A force of generosity

This collaboration was proposed by Ogilvie, who is also a board member of both organisations.

Ogilvie envisioned this joint initiative to donate shoes. Over the years, he has been a force of generosity for his community through his private practice, Hudson Valley Dynamic Counseling, a mental health and psychotherapy company based in Poughkeepsie. His innovative approach and unwavering dedication have been instrumental in bridging the two organisations, marking a new milestone in their joint mission to enhance the lives of Jamaican children.

As part of their shared vision to build a brighter future for Jamaica and its citizens, the organisations have launched an initiative to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes to disadvantaged children attending primary schools across Jamaica. The Porus Primary School, which has been identified as one of the schools to benefit from the initiative, will receive a supply of shoes in September, just in time for the start of the new school year.

Said Ogilvie: “At this point, Porus Primary is targeted for the shoes, but the goal is to have other primary schools in the surrounding areas to also receive donations. This is a prototype for us to design a framework for Friends of Porus.”