Time is just as valuable - Johnson
Published:Monday | September 17, 2018 | 12:00 AMSyranno Baines/Gleaner Writer
Chief Executive Officer of Sagicor Bank Chorvelle Johnson has contended that giving of one's time and energies to advancing the educational development of the nation's children is just as, if not more important than giving money.
Johnson, who was the keynote speaker at the Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) scholarship luncheon last week, said that Jamaica must return to a time when it was the village that raised a child. The New York-based Jamaican charity contributed US$25,000 in tertiary scholarships to wards of the State.
"When I was growing up, everybody was committed to education," asserted Johnson.
"Is that commitment still there, or should we be doing more as a people?" asked Johnson.
"I think more needs to be done. There are people who can't afford to give money, but they can afford to give time. It can be just somebody who's good at math and chemistry sitting down and mentoring or coaching somebody through this. So if we change that shift, we would have a better balance, and we would have a better country," she reasoned.
"Growing up, it starts with your parents and them making other persons within that family unit understand that they play a major role in that child's life. Is that how it is now in our country? Can anybody talk to a child about anything or can anybody guide? People just need to understand that it's not just the giving of money that's important, but giving your time, efforts, input is also vital," she added.