Jessie’s spirit of mercy endures

 

 Alpha Mercy Award recipients (from left) Patricia Rowe, Calvin Hunter Jr and Patricia Lee. 

Excerpt from Observer column published 14 October 2019

Jean Lowrie-Chin

It is always wonderful to be with your schoolmates – except of course Aggrey Irons who continues to this day, his practice from Alpha Prep of pulling my hair! (Of course I am joking - so proud of Aggrey, my mischievous classmate who is now a renowned psychiatrist.) We gathered for the Alpha Mercy Gala recently, celebrating three individuals who have walked in the footsteps of that compassionate Jamaican woman, Jessie Ripoll, who with two friends, bought the Alpha premises at South Camp Road, and took in her first resident, a little orphan girl on May 1, 1880.

Patricia Lee (nee Yee), was honoured for her dedication to her Alma Mater, Convent of Mercy ‘Alpha’ Academy.  Patsy and husband Larry established Florida Tropiculture Inc, a Miami based enterprise over 30 years ago; the company’s plants can be found in distribution centres and at the many outlets of Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco throughout the US. 

Sharing her good fortune, Patsy founded the Alpha Alumna association in Florida, contributing to scholarships and grants for Academy students, and sponsoring of health fairs at the school. 

Patsy is also a founding member of the Jamaica/USA Chamber of Commerce and a Director of the inaugural Board. She has received many honours, among them the prestigious Jamaica Diaspora Luminary Award in recognition of her invaluable contribution to the development of the Jamaican community in South Florida. 

Patricia Rose is an adjunct Professor of Nursing at Long Island University, Director of Nursing and Administrator of the Tri-State Licensed Home Care Agency in New York City and a Visiting Clinician at St. John's School of Nursing in Bangalore, India.

In her quest to increase literacy in her home parish of St. Elizabeth and in New York, with the help of her board of directors, advisors, donors, and educational teams from the Ministry of Education Youth and Information, Region 5, and the New York City Department of Education, she founded Literacy is a Family Experience, Inc. (LIFE) in 2014. She led the team in the building of a model which involves parents and families in their children’s educational experiences in the home, at school and in their communities.

Five years later, over 400 parents participate in LIFE’s model. Students receive remedial instruction from teachers who administer the LIFE model. Overall, 60 to 80% of children who were previously reading below grade level are now reading at or above grade level.

The third recipient is a graduate of Jessie Ripoll Primary – Calvin Hunter Jr. Growing up with a Christian family in an Allman Town tenement yard, the outstanding sports-loving student received the Jackie Bell Scholarship at Jessie Ripoll and developed his football prowess under Jackie’s brother, coach Neville ‘Bertis’ Bell at St George’s College. Even as he excelled in the fields of banking and auditing, he was encouraged by the late great Winston Chung Fah to remain and inspire the youth in Allman Town.

Calvin established the Optimist Club of St Matthew’s Kingston, serving as Charter President and later Distinguished President, using it as a vehicle to empower many youngsters. He rose to the position of District Governor of the Optimist International Caribbean District for 2017-2018, during which time the District was recognized as number one in the world. 

The devoted family man created “Adopt an Angel”, a Caribbean, public educational and capacity building programme endorsed by Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen against bullying and violence against children. A consultant at Crowe Jamaica, a member of the accounting and audit firm Crowe Horwath International, he participates in the financial development of his church, and is business manager for Alvin Day, international empowerment coach and author.

In a moving gesture, Calvin made a presentation to Lorna Bell, widow of Jackie Bell, thanking her for using the funds collected at his funeral to support his primary school education, creating a strong foundation for his successful life.