…in commemoration of birth of patron saint

“LEARN the values of giving, without expecting.” This was the admonition of Mr. Vibert Parvatan, Chairman of St. John’s Association of Guyana.

The St John’s Association of Guyana is a vibrant humanitarian, voluntary organisation providing quality first aid training, first aid services and healthcare to communities, seeking at all times to promote health awareness and safety practices.

Every year, the birth anniversary of John the Baptist is commemorated on June 24. This year, the non-profit organisation hosted a week of activities to celebrate the birth anniversary of their patron saint. The week started off on Sunday, June 24 with a church service at the Baridi Benab, State House. The commemoration continued throughout the week with outreach programmes, whereby brigade members visited homes of the elderly and did basic checks such as blood pressure, blood sugar and gave words of comfort and encouragement to those who have peculiar circumstances.

Yesterday the week of activities concluded with a fund-raising luncheon at the Baridi Benab. At the luncheon, guests were entertained with cultural presentations, but it was the speech of the United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] Representative, Ms. Mikiko Tanaka, that really hit home. She spoke about the power of volunteerism in development, to end poverty, protect the planet and to transform the world.

“Volunteerism is a powerful means of including people. Volunteerism allows people in communities to participate in their own development and the development of their communities. Through volunteering, citizens enhance their knowledge base and gain a sense of responsibility for their own community… volunteerism leaves no one behind and therefore aids in social cohesion,” Ms. Tanaka said. She also added that volunteerism is necessary to carry out the Green Development Strategy in the country.

This newspaper spoke with chairman of the association, Mr. Vibert Parvatan, who reiterated the points outlined by the UNDP representative. He stated that volunteerism changes lives and contributes to the development of a country and the world at large. He also paid tribute to patron of the association, the President of Guyana, The Hon. Brigadier David Granger, for his expressed commitment to supporting the development and expansion of the St John’s Association of Guyana.

It fact, the fund-raiser held, was advocated by the President who believes that more activities should be held to raise funds to aid in the development and expansion process. Mr. Parvatan went on to appeal to homes who have the capacity to help others, to make it obligatory. “There is need for persons to develop a spirit of generosity and display compassion, respect and love for others. I’m appealing to the homes who are in fortunate positions to lend a helping hand to those in need. With such actions, we will be headed in the direction of making the world a better place for everyone,” Parvatan said.
The fund-raiser held yesterday was done in the form of a Dutch auction, where all proceeds will go towards the work of the organisation.

The St John’s Association has trained thousands of persons, including joint services ranks in the areas of first-aid, home-nursing, patient care, ambulance training and disaster preparedness. They have been serving the people of Guyana selflessly for 85 years, committed to their motto “For the faith and in service of humanity.”