Mullet Hall group makes positive impact on community

What started out as a WhatsApp group in 2015, in the community of Mullet Hall, Clarendon has now morphed into a vibrant achievement group.

Eton Edwards started the group 'Thuggy Thuggy' to keep in contact with family and friends. But, Donald Anderson (president) had other ideas, he thought it could be more than a chat group - but one that could be used as a platform to develop the community.

"Other members of the group shared Anderson's vision and in December 2015, the name of the group was changed to The Mullet Hall Achievement Group," said Nardalee Powis one of the group's directors.

The 76-member strong group comprises those who were born in the community or have strong ties to it. There they 'tune in' to the WhatsApp group on a daily basis, planning the development of the community.

"The majority of the members reside in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and the United States of America, with a smaller number of active members in the Bahamas, St Kitts & Nevis, England and South Korea," she said, adding that thanks to technology distance is not a hindrance.

Powis told The Gleaner that the group was mostly powered by the utter neglect of the community located in the north central area of the parish.

"The community lacks the basic amenities of a residential area - piped water, proper street lighting, proper roads, a garbage disposal system, etc, and most of the youths don't have a future beyond high school," she said, highlighting some of the challenges being faced by its residents.

Exhausted by their futile protests and appeal to various state agencies, residents, Powis said, came together under the motto 'All for One, One for all, the Youths are the Future", in an effort to develop their community.

... Serious about commitment to develop community

The Mullet Hall Achievement Group kicked off their develop-ment initiative with their first fundraiser last December as they accumulate funds to construct a community centre. This will facilitate homework, skills training, sports development and a play area for the children to develop their physical, emotional and cognitive strength.

The proceeds from the event, in addition to going towards the centre, will also help to fund other charitable activities for the community such as back to school drive, assisting the needy with medication, and sporting gears for the youth as well as funeral grant, Powis disclosed. Nardalee Powis is thankful for the support of overseas group members who continue to give back to their community.

While the main focus is the community centre, Powis said there are other urgent needs that faces Mullet Hall including the deplorable conditions of the roads, no phone lines or Internet connection, badly damaged pipelines and residents having to purchase drinking water while using the river as their bathrooms.

Now a registered charitable entity, she said the group took that route to show that they are serious about their mission to transform the community.

With the long road ahead to the dream, Powis is reaching out to stakeholders to buy into the vision by helping them to achieve their goals.

"We hope other stakeholders will share in our mission and come on board to make this dream a reality," she said.