One down, many more to go - Yendi Phillipps Foundation achieves much this Christmas

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

Zipping across Kingston, dodging potholes, sitting in traffic and jumping from office to office are just a few of the things that Yendi Phillipps does because of her passion.

These days the former beauty queen spends her days in and around the Corporate Area finalising a few areas to get the Yendi Phillipps Foundation (YPF) to where she wants it. It's a dream come true for her, and it is something that gives her great joy and fulfilment after completing each stage.

This Christmas marks a very busy time for the foundation because the season and the foundation share a very common goal ... giving back. The YPF's main aim is founded on the premise that "knowledge is power", and the foundation is seeking to make people aware of certain issues in order for them to take the necessary preventative measures. For this holiday season Phillipps shared, "we did our day to care drive last week where we collected basic necessities for the Dare to Care Mustard Seed home." This, she stated, was another preventative measure because the drive was done to provide for, the home before it escalated into a situation where they would be in dire need.

"The feedback was fantastic to the point where we had to extend to a second day because people were still bringing in stuff. We got everything that we asked for, so it really went well," Phillipps explained.

As she ended, she flashed a big smile, suggesting that Jamaicans have a heart and loved to give back to their own.

Awareness

Creating the awareness won't stop there, she emphasised.

January will be celebrated as cervical cancer awareness month and as such, the foundation will turn its attention back to its primary focus - creating awareness about human papillomavirus.

"There will be a lot of activities. There will be a school tour where the girls will be educated about the disease itself, the prevention methods and the cure," Phillipps explained.

"It will also be the month where we will hand over some of the monies collected as well as purchase vaccines from Gardasil to be handed over to the Ministry of Health to be distributed in the public clinics."

The company has collected over $500,000 but Phillipps boasts most about the awareness that the foundation has created about HPV cervical cancer. "The Facebook page alone has over 140,000 fans who give overwhelming feedback about the cause and message of the foundation. However, aside from paying attention, I really do hope they are receiving the message of what HPV is and the dire repercussions of it."

A privilege

The vaccinations, Phillipps says, are a necessity for all women but one that is treated as a privilege and as such the purchased vaccinations will be accessible to women who use the public-health system.

Shenna Carby, the recent winner of Mission Catwalk season 1, was named an ambassador of the YPF because she "represents something very positive". Carby's rise from poverty to a position where she is making much of her life speaks volumes about why she was chosen as a YPF Ambassador.

Phillipps also felt that Carby has a voice and face that persons could relate to and one that could share her opinion with persons about the cause.

Live television vaccinations, Facebook and Twitter are just some of the various methods through which the message is being disseminated.