Sun | Nov 24, 2024

Trench Town gets an Optimist club

Published:Tuesday | November 21, 2017 | 10:28 AM
Contributed
While in the island recently, the Optimist International president, H. Nick Prillaman, Jr (second right) and wife Dottie Prillaman (right) paid a courtesy call on Sir Patrick Allen (third left) governor general, where Prillaman, Jr. was presented with a proclamation. Accompanying them were (from left) Optimist International caribbean district governor Calvin A. Hunter and his wife Debbie Willis-Hunter.

Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae superstar Bob Marley and many other music greats, is now the home of a newly commissioned Optimist Club.

Twenty chartered members of the new club were installed by the president of Optimist International, H. Nick Prillaman, who was in the island on the weekend of November 10 to attend the Optimist International Caribbean District adult 'Optimist Strong' conference and the Junior Optimist International Youth Summit at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.

"This is the first time that an Optimist Club is being set up in the community of Trench Town and I want to encourage the club members to serve the children with passion and integrity," Prillaman said.

The Optimist International president made special mention of Tremayne Brown, who has been dubbed the hero of Trench Town for saving 12-year-old Renaldo Reynolds from drowning in raging flood waters in a gully in the community in September this year. Prillaman commended Brown for his bravery, which he described as a true expression of optimism.

In welcoming the new members of the Optimist Club of Trench Town, governor of the Optimist International Caribbean District (OICD), Calvin A. Hunter, said the movement now had additional hands to reach out to children in need of assistance.

The club will become part of the activities observed as the Year of Optimists in Service to Children.

OICD also announced earlier this week that Marley's Get Up, Stand Up was named the official song for its anti-bullying human-rights campaign.

Cedella Marley, chief executive officer of Tuff Gong International, graciously approved the song Get Up, Stand Up, released on 1973 on the Wailer's album Burnin', to be used free of cost during the Commonwealth Caribbean campaign.