by B. Roach
The Glendon Hospital and the Ministry of Health has been bathed in donations over the past few weeks. They have received donations from overseas and local sources, earlier from Kent Association in the UK and beginning recently with defibrillators from Red Cross in Montserrat patron Mrs. SuJue Davis, Governor’s wife, Montserratians and friends of Montserrat, Santo Domingo doctors, and more.
This past week, the Ministry would be on hand to accept donations from a group called MAD (Making a Difference) group of Seventh Day Adventists and others from the UK. Another donation came from a local church group, Salem Methodists.
The MAD group gave donations to the hospital and the Golden Years Home, but while TMR witnessed those donations, reports are that the group made other donations to the Mental Home and the Margetson Memorial home.
Valerie Shittu refers to herself as a Salemite, as she was born in Salem. She described that her team is a “Mission to Montserrat Team”. “We’re also known as the “MAD Team” because we are mad for Jesus and we are making a difference, Making a difference MAD, Mad for Jesus,” she explained.
I’m a Salemite,” Valerie said, “and we are here to heighten awareness of good health – we’re coming to bring the health message to you through our Health Ministry and today we are donating some hospital supplies to the hospital hoping that they will really help the hospital and help the people on Montserrat.”
Another team member, Montserratian Melvina (Amelda) Sweeney, explained that the grouping was made up of people from “various parts of the Caribbean Trinidad, Guyana, St. Lucia, Jamaica, we have people from all over,” she said. “We come together in England as Health Ministries Team and we travel worldwide,” she added, explaining further that the grouping is from within the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church, “but we also have non-SDA members with us.”
She named the other members In the visiting group making the donation, Rita skinner, Fola Ayayemi, and Gene Ahwan. The overall visiting group included Pamela Ingram, Joan Wright, Joan Blackwood, Gloria Simon, Samuel Morgan and James Kirwan.
Mrs. Geraldine Adams representing the Ministry of Health, accepted and thanked the MAD group for the gifts of varying medical supplies and food items. ““MAD” Make a Difference, and I assure you that these items will make a difference to the residents of the Margetson Memorial Home and also to the Glendon Hospital,” she told the group.
Following the presentation at the hospital, the group moved to the Golden Years Home where they made a similar presentation of items. There, Sheryl White, Manager accepted and expressed appreciation on behalf of the home management, staff and the in-house elderly.
