There are too many pictures to post here, so please visit this link to Youth Opportunities Unlimited’s Facebook page to view them all, but first, please read below for a brief synopsis of the wonderful event.

By this time, two buildings and a yard in the community of Mountain View are unrecognizable in comparison to prior to 8 a.m. today. The Canadian Navy arrived this morning with a busload of supplies and over three dozen workers for this day of service, which included refurbishing and retrofitting a container for a computer centre and a homework centre. In addition, they dug up the backyard to facilitate a garden, from a pile of rubbish to a beautifully landscaped plot of dirt.

Fresh paint, new shutters, windows, electrical wiring, plaster, shelving and general cleaning were just some of the activities. In addition to the Navy, we were also joined by the Canadian High Commissioner Robert Ready and his wife Joanne Ready, the ship’s captain, Commander Gregory Adamthwaite, Youth Opportunities Unlimited’s Executive Director Georgia Lewis Scott and Deputy Executive Director Cush Sewell Lewis, Mountain View’s Parenting Group president Annmarie Lynch, the Jamaica Defence Force, Community Service Police and Cuso volunteers. Some of the children who weren’t at church pitched in, too, and many members of the community gathered to watch. The media came out in full force as well to cover the event.

We worked up until 1:00 pm, when we were served a delicious meal of jerk chicken, pork, fish and vegetables and salad. The afternoon was left to wrap up various tasks. We will visit later this week to get a sense of just how much work is done, but it is unbelievable. I think everyone was overwhelmed by just how hard the Navy personnel worked and how much was accomplished. These improvements will help to capitalize on the wonderful progress the community has made in increasing safety and decreasing conflict in the previously crime and violence-ridden area. In fact, several of the police officers I spoke to acknowledged the improvement in the area, including the head of the area’s police force.

Special thank you to the Canadian High Commissioner Robert Ready and Joanne Ready for spearheading this initiative, the Navy for all their hard work and the residents of Mountain View, especially Annmarie Lynch and Francina.