Jamaican journalist awarded for community service by Nurses' Association of Florida

Jamaican philanthropist and journalist, Norris McDonald, was, on Saturday, presented with the Community Service Award by the Jamaica Nurses' Association of Florida at their 40th Anniversary Scholarship Awards Banquet in the city of Doral.

McDonald, an economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist, has been a voluntary social worker from the age of 15 when he organised summer schools in the working-class community in Jamaica, where he grew up.

A member of the Jamaica Nurses' Association of Florida (JNAF) and its secretary from 2021-2023, McDonald's encyclopedic knowledge and communication skills have been harnessed by JNAF to do continued education presentations for a number of special events.

McDonald is presently an Opinion Writer for The Jamaica Gleaner. His columns have been republished worldwide by several news syndicates and online journals, enhancing the Jamaican diasporic point of view on topical issues.

One of his columns on Great Britain's 'Wind Rush Betrayal' was set to classical music by a Japanese fan and republished in video format on YouTube.

Overall, McDonald has published over 600 articles in journals such as Money Index, Jamaica Record, Western Mirror, Jamaica Observer, and The Jamaica Gleaner.

A product of Kingston College, the University of the West Indies and the New School University, New York, McDonald has a Diploma in Mass Communications/Journalism. He also studied Respiratory Therapy at ATI College of Health, and has an Associate of Science Degree in Respiratory Therapy and is a Certified Respiratory Therapist with the National Board of Respiratory Care in the United States.

Before leaving Jamaica for the US, McDonald served in various capacities in public life, including as: special assistant to Dr. DK Duncan, former Minister of National Mobilisation in the Office of the Prime Minister during Michael Manley's administration; Regional Officer and Acting Regional Manager for the Jamaica Information Service; Public Relations Officer for mayors Marie Atkins and Arthur Jones; and General Secretary of the People's National Party's Youth Organisation (PNPYO), where he was also a member of the PNP's National Executive Council and Central Executive.

McDonald is also a poet, fine artist, and horticulturalist.

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