VOLUNTARISM â THE ACT OF GIVING YOUR TIME, TALENT AND RESOURCES TO A GROUP, ORGANIZATION OR COMMUNITY WITHOUT THE EXPECTATION OF ANY KIND OF REWARD, IS ONE OF THE NOBLEST OF HUMAN ENDEAVOURS. SINCE 2015 WYVOLYN GAGER HAS BEEN ORGANIZING AN ANNUAL SUMMER CAMP FOR CHILDREN OF THE RURAL COMMUNITY OF SPRING GARDEN IN THE PARISH OF TRELAWNY WITH THE HELP OF FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FORMER SCHOOL MATES LOCALLY AND ALSO FROM OVERSEAS. WYVOLYN RECOUNTS HERE, WHAT INSPIRED HER TO CONCEIVE CAMP INSPIRE AND WHAT IT HAS MEANT FOR THE CHILDREN OF THE COMMUNITY.
CAMP INSPIRE SAYS IT ALL
              by
WYVOLYN GAGER
We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. â Winston Churchill.
Long before I read those words uttered by the great 20th century leader, I felt there had to be something I could do for my community of Spring Garden. Tucked away in the upper reaches of Trelawny parish, Spring Garden was an essential part of my early life. This little village of mainly hard-working farmers who do back-breaking work in their fields to produce some of the best yams to grace our tables, contributed to my well-being. No one makes it through life entirely on oneâs own and it is this community of family and friends that protected and nurtured me and helped to form me.
When I heard that students of Spring Garden primary school were scoring poorly in literacy tests I was crushed. How could that be? As a child my parents were constantly reminding me about the value of education. âSilver and gold will vanish away, but a good education will never decayâ were words from the memory gem that rang in my ears.
I approached the then principal and suggested that she establish a library so the children could have better access to books. I gave her a donation towards this effort but several months later when I inquired about the project, I was disappointed to learn that a fence was considered more vital than books. I felt defeated.
However, in 2015 I went to a function at the Sawyers Primary School and when I saw the enthusiasm of the children it stirred something in me. I decided to try again, this time with an idea to stage a summer camp for the children of Spring Garden primary school. I was enjoying my retirement from the Gleaner, Jamaicaâs venerable newspaper, and there were many lazy days to fill. I kept tossing ideas around and âWhat ifsâ swirled around in my head. My alma mater Westwood High School classmate Dr. Dawn Stephenson was with me when I made the decision and she promised her full support.
Camp Inspire was born and I enlisted the help of community persons including Falmouthâs mayor Colin Gager and the schoolâs principal, Mrs. Grace Hughes-Malcolm. It was their excitement that gave me the fuel to press forward. In this golden age of technology, it was easy to reach out to Facebook friends and share my ideas with them and they added more fuel to the little fire that was burning within me. All the connections and friendships I had ever made over my lifetime started showing up. People from Trelawny, including my Westwood mates and family members, fellow media workers from the former Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) and the Gleaner and personal friends opened their hearts and their wallets. They also gave generously of their time.
That first year, Dawn, being a nutritionist took on the task of planning meals with an eye on their nutritional value. Jackie Binns, another Westwoodite, found her way to Spring Garden and threw all her energies into the effort. Valerie Green, a Jamaican who teaches in New York visited the camp laden with books and money. We also got tangible support from the National Housing Trust (NHT) through the efforts of former Gleaner colleague, Cherton DaCosta.
At the end of that first camp, we felt good that we had planted a seed. Our method was to guide and motivate rather than to instruct. Our message of hope resonated with the community.
Every year campers are smartly turned out in their branded tee-shirts courtesy of Pam Ridley who lives in Florida. She has been providing these tee-shirts every year with her greatest concern being, âwhat colour should I get.â Last year, she told me something that left me all teary-eyed; not only did she rope in her sister and work colleague to make donations, she also told her children that if anything should happen to her, she wanted them to continue to make this contribution to Camp Inspire.
In 2016, my cousin Loretta Graham-Gay, traveled from Los Angeles to join Camp Inspire adding the organizational heft that we needed. She came up with the theme: Dream it, Believe it, Achieve it. We expanded the camp to five days and added a field trip. Loretta has been back every year since.
In 2017, my former JBC colleague Michael Chambers and his daughter Makayla jetted in from Connecticut for Camp Inspire 3. Makaylaâs art classes were very popular. I was so impressed that she stayed up way into the night to make friendship bracelets for the 35 campers. Michael and Makayla returned in 2018 bringing with them book bags for the campers. That year too, we were joined by Beverley Sutherland-Lewis who flew in from Maryland with school supplies and a raft of ideas. I have continued to rely on the unbending support of my Westwood mates, Bridgett Wilks, Doreen Dietrich, Faith Mowatt, Marjorie Scott-Anderson and Iris Wlliamson-Talbot of Ultimate Jerk Centre who provided discounted meals for our campers on their trip to the Green Grotto caves last year. Having an idea is one thing, to successfully execute it is something else. It is our donors and volunteers who make it possible.
Mrs. Malcolm says the efforts are paying off, for we have succeeded in igniting a passion for learning in these children. By assuring them that each of them is a unique gift with special talents, we have provided them with the type of activities that promote respect, responsibility, discipline and teamwork. It has been a rewarding journey. If we needed anything to convince us of the impact we are making, last year students from other schools turned up hoping to join our camp.
On National Heroesâ Day 2018, I was given a special Parish award for the Camp Inspire initiative. Itâs humbling that we were recognized, but our greatest pleasure is derived from seeing the children of Spring Garden primary school do well. We are thrilled to hear of their winning performances in parish competitions and their impressive scores in the school-leaving examinations.
If we contribute even in the smallest way to producing successful, hardworking and happy adults, we would have met the objectives of Camp Inspire.
Wyvolyn Gager is a former Editor-in-chief of the Gleaner newspaper
See Also: The ‘Helping Hands’ of Jamaican – Canadians: Voluntourism in practice
