Simpson Penn Centre benefits from Doctors Hospital-Rotary Club partnership

Simpson Penn Centre benefits from Doctors Hospital-Rotary Club partnership
Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, Frankie A. Campbell (right); Karen Thompson-Vassell, President of the Rotary Club of Miami-Kendall, and Charles Sealy, Chief Executive Officer, Doctors Hospital (left) with a resident of the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys as he prepares to turn on the computer. (BIS Photo/Matt Maura)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Officials of the Rotary Club of Miami-Kendall and Doctors Hospital joined forces to donate 10 computers and the accompanying infrastructure to the residents of the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys.

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, Frankie A. Campbell applauded both organizations for their outstanding “show of good corporate and community service.”

“We are grateful that you thought it beneficial to come all the way to The Bahamas to show love to some young men whom, I believe, sometimes may think that no one cares about them,” Minister Campbell told officials of the Rotary Club of Miami-Kendall.

“This kind gesture, your partnering with Brother Sealy (Charles Sealy, Chief Executive Officer, Doctors Hospital), and Doctors Hospital means a lot more than just the equipment that has been provided.

“I am satisfied that some lives are going to be touched and that one or two of them are going to take from this a sense of not just gratitude, but they will also take from it the importance of giving. This joint donation, I believe, has started a rippling effect that will continue to be in motion long after we have left this place.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of The Bahamas, I am grateful to know that we have friends from across the water who are satisfied that as a government, we cannot do it alone and so we value your partnership,” Minister Campbell said.

Karen Thompson-Vassell, President, Rotary Club of Miami-Kendall, told the male residents that the Club’s gift was an attempt to level the playing field for them.

“You will be able to further educate yourselves; you will be further able to explore the world through our donation. We want to try and level the playing field for you. So I hope you enjoy it. I hope you like our donation.”

Thompson-Vassell said she expects the partnership to continue.

“I was speaking with a few of the gentlemen here and I told them that we want to continue to partner with you because we feel that you need to have every single opportunity that everyone else has. I look forward to seeing you again soon.”

Sealy said the donation culminated a journey that began almost two years ago. He said the collaboration was not the first in The Bahamas between Doctors Hospital and the Rotary Clubs of Miami and/or Miami-Kendall.

“Doctors Hospital has been here for a long time working with the Home, facilitating a number of programmes while identifying a list of opportunities to work with the Home,” Sealy said. “One of the opportunities that came about was the fact that there weren’t any computers for the young men to engage in, and engage on, and so in conversations with Rotary, we had an opportunity to speak with Vassell and they were excited.

“We have done a number of projects with the Rotary Clubs of Miami and Miami-Kendall. We have done some things with the Elizabeth Estates Children’s Home and some other Homes in the community and so they were very eager to come onboard and join us. After we got things in motion, we realized that there were a number of additional things that needed to be put in place for us to accomplish our objective. It’s a testament to how, when we come together, how, when we work together and realize that we are stronger together, some great things can happen.”

Sealy said officials at Doctors Hospital were able to secure a number of local partnerships to ensure the success of the project. These included partnerships with individuals such as Keyon Saunders, an electrician; and Allan Wallace, a Bahamian artist; ALIV and the residents of the Centre.

“There were a number of persons who helped to make this happen. First of all my Information Technology Team at Doctors Hospital provided all of the networking. We had an electrician, Keyon Saunders, who gave us his time; we just gave him the supplies and resources. Some of the young men at the Home assisted in painting the room. Bahamian artist Allan Wallace painted the two murals that grace the room and so I want to thank all of the partners who worked with us to make this a reality.

“While the computers were a valuable part of the process, we were able to partner with Aliv. They donated 30 days unlimited Internet access to ensure that we had the Internet connectivity to set it all up. We will use that time to create a more sustainable opportunity so that the Internet is here and accessible to the young men,” Sealy added.

Minister Campbell applauded the partnerships.

“Relationships are like the hands of a clock. They meet sometimes, but they always stay in touch. The government cannot be everything to everyone and so we are prepared in the first instance to rekindle, revive and nourish all of our existing relationships while we are busy searching for new ones. We are not overly concerned about the size of the institution or how many persons comprise the organization because we know that if one person can reach one; if one person can teach one; if one person can impact one person, there will be a success,” Minister Campbell added.

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This article was written by Matt Maura – Bahamas Information Services