Wise Women touching lives

Sheena Gayle, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:

"Their help brought me through college," said Keon Simms, reflecting on the assistance he received from the Wise Women Club, which assisted him as he attended the Montego Bay Community College.

Simms, who is a past beneficiary of the Wise Women Club's college scholarship, said that had it not been for the efforts of the members, he would not have been able to start college.

"I had no money to start college … . I heard about the Wise Women Club and applied for a scholarship," Simms told Western Focus. "It (the scholarship) was granted, and it was there my tertiary education began."

Simms has excelled, and today, he is the proud holder of a bachelor's degree in business management.

Several distinguished members of the Montego Bay business community and the diaspora came out in support of the Wise Women Club, which hosted its annual fund-raising cocktail party at Doctor's Cave Beach last weekend.

The Wise Women Club - which consists of Janki Chanderam, Rita Hilton, Jenny Hannah, Denise Dear, Laurice Brown, Audrey Small, Jennifer Alton, and Judith Dear - partners with the Montego Bay Community College each year to assist needy students with their first-year tuition.

According to Denise Dear, the founder of the charitable organisation, the group of women from Montego Bay came together and formed the non-profit entity with a view to providing assistance in tertiary education.

WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT

"We believe that if our nation is to grow, education will have to drive that effort, and with the rising cost of tertiary studies, our nation's children need some assistance," Dear said.

Since its inception over seven years ago, more than 30 students have benefited from the help and support of the Wise Women Club.

"We want to extend our gratitude to the sponsors and persons who contribute each year towards our fund-raising efforts on behalf of these students," said Dear. "As we grow as an organisation, we will continue to provide emotional and financial assistance to students in need. We not only give them the funds and leave them just like that, but we provide a holistic approach towards ensuring they do well and their emotional welfare is okay."

While the club does not fund the entire tuition cost, it offers students a start by paying for their first term, or diploma-level courses. The club successfully staged another event earlier this year in Westmoreland.

PHOTOS BY SHEENA GAYLE