Army vets welcome boost
Published:Thursday | November 11, 2021 | 12:12 AM
Ex-servicemen and women of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are set to benefit from much-needed funds presented to the Curphey Home in Manchester on behalf of the Jamaica Ex-Soldiers Association (JESA), UK Chapter.
The donation of 4,000 pounds (J$826,000) is expected to boost the care and protection of the veterans during the pandemic.
The handover took place at the Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew on Wednesday.
President of the JESA, Jamaica Chapter, Hudson Grant, told The Gleaner that during the pandemic, there was a need for scarce resources at the veterans’ home.
“They wanted to get a lot of things done for the safety of the wards and to better (their) living standard,” he said.
Grant said that based on the collaboration with their international chapters, a walkathon was held in the UK under the stewardship of JESA UK President, retired Captain Paul Chambers, and his board of trustees and membership, which raised the funds.
He said that Wednesday’s ex-soldiers’ donation to Curphey Home was the first from a service organisation topping three-quarter million dollars.
“We ask that the wards be beneficial, and it is a fitting occasion that these resources and this amount of money has gone to the ex-soldiers, veterans which we serve with, our brothers and sisters,” Grant said.
There are JESA chapters in the United States, Canada, and the UK.
Windel Radley, manager of Curphey Home, told The Gleaner that administrators were happy at, and humbled by, the donation, which he said would go a far way.
“We normally depend on the national poppy appeal, which is a yearly event. Because of the pandemic, which has created a new norm and cash is hard to come, this will certainly give a positive impact on the home in helping residents,” Radley said.