Life Members

A special group has been recognized by P.A.C.E. (Canada) as Life Members who continue to be important to the organization. These women have been the mainstay of the P.A.C.E. (Canada) organization. They have had a lifetime of giving as volunteers, not only to P.A.C.E., but to other community agencies as well. However, as they themselves have observed, P.A.C.E. (Canada) took over their lives as they became increasingly committed to the mission to early childhood care, development and education. This has demanded time, energy, financial contributions, positive community representation and support for practical means of assistance for the schools in Jamaica. Their names form a roll call of caring and devotion.

Enid Akhtar
Lillie Johnson
Dorothy Cooke
Loretta Spencer
Norna Fernandez
Raphaelita Walker
Marblet James
Thelma Carey-Thompson

Gifford Walker

Ron King

Their reasons for becoming actively involved may have varied at the outset, but their purpose in staying on had a similar genesis. It seems that as women of a certain generation with a Jamaican upbringing, they were grounded in the environment of caring and sharing with those in need. The impact of the women in their community, the influence of the extended family, the nostalgia for the close knit neighborhoods of rural and small town Jamaica – these were elements of their commitment to P.A.C.E. (Canada).

The mission to help basic schools help young children get a better start in life appealed to their sensibilities. The field trips to visit basic schools in Jamaica created a lifelong commitment to the cause. Giving back to their roots was a significant factor but all these women made mention of the beauty of innocent children, ready and eager to learn, reaching out to everyone with love and trust in their smiling faces. They also spoke of the tremendous job being done by the teachers with limited resources and little negotiating room for creative group activity or even less for independent tasks in over-crowded classrooms.

For two decades they contributed to the administration of the organization in various capacities – Committee chairpersons, event organizers, spokespersons, executive members. The power of volunteerism has given them a sense of self as well as belonging, sacrifice, involving family and friends in helping to promote the concept and the reality of early years learning. P.A.C.E. (Canada) owes a debt of gratitude to these women who have been recognized as Life Members.