Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:

Eleven prominent citizens of St. Ann were honoured for "outstanding service to humanity" by the St. Ann Committee on Volunteerism at a civic ceremony and awards dinner held at the Anglican Church Hall in St. Ann's Bay on Thursday, March 29.

Those honoured were Jean Christofferson, Daphne Mathew, Denyse Perkins, Barbara Phillips, Norma Walters, Marilyn Williams, Mavis Williams, Claudile Sydia, Walter Coke, Pixley Irons and Victor Stewart.

Custos of St. Ann and patron of the St. Ann Committee on Volunteerism, Radcliffe Walters, praised the honourees for their many years of voluntary service to the people of St. Ann and encouraged other citizens to follow in their footsteps.

Fully entertained

Committee members Patricia Smith, Thelma Smith and Herbert Murdock read the citations and made presentations to the awardees who were entertained by singer Lascelles 'Baldie' Small.

Group president and CEO of Capital and Credit Merchant Bank, Ryland Campbell, who was the guest speaker, urged Jamaicans to become agents of change by beginning to take social responsibility seriously.

He noted that over the past years, volunteers in St. Ann and other parts of the island have made noteworthy contributions to various aspects of national development including the development of institutions such as the now powerful Credit Union Movement and also the Jamaica Cultural DevelopmentCommission.

Mr. Campbell said: "Volunteerism is the bedrock of any country which seeks to build sustainable development and ease the burden of socio-economic challenges on those who can least afford to have direct access to such benefits."