Hi there! Welcome or welcome back to Rooting For Growth with Fiona DaCosta. In this post, I’m taking you along to The Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Wine and Cheese Fundraiser.
This was held on October 5, 2024 on the lawns of The Mico University College and was the first of its kind by the JTA. The funds raised are for an absolutely imperative cause that I will shed light on later in this post.
For now, grab your invitation card below and let’s go!
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What’s the Jamaica Teachers’ Association About?
Notably, “[T]he Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) is responsible for the enhancement and protection of the economic welfare, professional development and personal well being of its members and the promotion of the educational interests of the country of Jamaica.”
Members of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association are typically teachers and students members who are in the course of pursuing teacher education at an institution approved by the Association.
As was mentioned earlier, the JTA prides itself with not only the economic welfare of its members, but also their personal well being. This is evident in the Fundraiser that was held and dubbed the ‘Wine and Cheese Fundraiser’.
Without further ado, let’s talk about it.
Jamaica Teachers’ Association: Big on Teacher Well Being
Unfortunately, many persons (teachers included) are ignorant to the fact that the JTA has a critical illness fund for its members. I was in the dark about this too! The trust fund was established in 2019 by then president Garth Anderson to provide financial support to members who are critically ill.
Related Post: JTA Critical Illness Trust Fund
To date, the fund has over 20 million dollars. However, as was noted by Mr. Anderson in his speech at the fundraiser, the Association still has a long way to go. This, he posited, is due to the expensive nature of health care. Noting that the sum of the fund now, ideally, could be one person’s medical expense.
As such, the fundraiser would help to steadily increase the trust fund, and I’m super excited that the Association is thinking along these lines. If this isn’t a commendable move towards teacher wellbeing, then I don’t know what is.
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Jamaica Teachers’ Association Wine and Cheese Fundraiser: Highlights
A team of friendly teachers were positioned at the entrance, welcoming guests and collecting tickets as they fitted attendees with event wrist bands.
The evening was spent outdoors on the lawns of The Mico University College. There were bistro tables as well as seating arrangements across the lawn. Music livened the cool of the evening, as guests danced about the lawns, made conversations with colleagues and partook in the never ending rounds of finger foods and wines being served by the graceful waiters and waitresses.
The teachers in attendance were clearly enjoying the evening. Vibrant colours, fashionable outfits and the constant pouring of wines and the serving of finger foods reminded us, it was a good time to ‘let our hair’ down. The casual elegance permeated the lawns. Current president, Mr. Mark Smith brought greetings and reiterated his mandate to press for research directed at the wellbeing or lack thereof, of teachers – factors that contribute to the stresses of the job and to be subsequently able to make and implement recommendations based on findings of facts.
Yep! I met up with my grade one teacher from Basic School! Imagine that! She is in blue (right) of the photo above. Amazing and dedicated lady. We spent the evening in each other’s company.
All in all, it was a wonderful occasion for a worthy cause. The evening came to an end with a few raffle draws. Ticket numbers were called by the event MCs and winning guests were surprised with amazing prizes from sponsors.
That’s a wrap, until the next post – keep rooting for growth!
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