Senate salutes young mom for honesty
Published:Saturday | May 18, 2019 | 12:00 AMDanae Hyman/Staff Reporter
Lawmakers yesterday saluted Ackaisha Green, the woman who gained popularity for her extraordinary display of honesty when she turned over a bag believed to have contained millions of dollars, which she found at an ATM in downtown Kingston.
Holding her son, Joshua, Green sat in the visitors’ gallery of Parliament with her mother, Yvonne Jones, as she soaked up commendations from members of the Upper House.
Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson had invited Green to yesterday’s sitting to recognise her for her honesty.
Leader of Government Business in the Senate Kamina Johnson Smith praised Green for her good deed.
“What you have done, without even realising, is stimulating a new conversation across Jamaica about honesty. It is one of the most simple and fundamental values, and you now embody it for a whole lot of Jamaicans,” she stated.
Johnson Smith also advised Green to invest some of the donations she has received for her children, noting that while “money comes and goes, education is forever”.
Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Donna Scott Mottley, told Green that her actions would inspire young people, reminding them that when they face difficult choices, the better option is to do the right thing.
“She is doing the right thing when no one is watching. What I find fascinating about this story is that she was desperately in need. Her house had just burnt down two weeks before and she had lost everything. She had to borrow $200 from her mother that morning,” Scott Mottley added.
Since returning the cash, Green has discovered that honesty pays.
Despite facing financial struggles when she stumbled on the stash of cash at the ATM located on East Queen Street, the 24-year-old mother of two promptly handed over the money to the police.
Her Senate recognition comes days after she was awarded with a donation of $1.2 million from J. Wray & Nephew Limited.
Of the amount awarded, $1 million is earmarked for educational support for Green and her sons, $100,000 was provided in vouchers to purchase groceries, and the remaining $100,000 is set aside for any entrepreneurial venture of her choice.