Lorraine Clunie brings help to young people

BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com

Friday, March 12, 2010

KEMIESH Hamilton is a single mother who, having tried unsuccessfully to pass the entrance test to the HEART/NTA, simply gave up on the dream of becoming a cosmetologist and opted instead to join the growing list of unemployed women in her Olympic Gardens community.

That was until a week ago when she and several other persons in similar positions were given an opportunity to learn the trade of housekeeping, bartending and waitressing free of cost.

Under the adage of "teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime; give him a fish you feed him for a day", Lorraine Clunie, creative planner and proprietor of Elegant Weddings, said she is committed for the next three years to train as many such persons as possible.

Using her own resources, Clunie said she will be spending four days each week for the next 10 weeks to train the participants, the majority of whom are single mothers.

At the end of 10 weeks, Clunie said arrangements have been made to have them placed in temporary jobs, and another batch of participants will begin training.

Clunie said it will be up to the individuals to prove themselves at these businesses so they can secure permanent positions.

In addition to learning a skill in bartending, waitressing and housekeeping, the participants are also taught mathematics and English, conflict resolution , personal development, computing and etiquette.

Some of these subject areas are being taught by guest lecturers, the only other external support the programme receives.

According to Clunie, she had approached HEART to get some support for the programme but was unsuccessful. Determined to help the less fortunate, she simply dipped into her pocket to fund the entire programme.

In addition to providing all teaching material, she gives a free hot lunch to each participant.

"Although I am not a rich person, if I can help 10 persons and they in turn help four persons, then that is a good thing," Clunie said.

Clunie, who was the recipient of the governor general's award for achievement in 1995, and a charter president of the South St Catherine Kiwanis Club, said she has drafted her husband -- former deputy commissioner of police and lawyer Owen Clunie -- and her son Kevear to assist in the programme.

"I am not going anywhere and not living anywhere else, so this is my contribution to this country," she told the Observer as she took a break from class.

Clunie said she has sought the assistance of pastors, parish councillors and even Kiwanians to identify participants for the programme.

She explained that she has had the vision for the programme for the past two years but wanted to ensure it was rolled out properly.

According to Hamilton, she welcomed such a programme as she could not get into HEART. Now she is confident she will be able to learn.

"The teacher (Clunie) really make we feel like a family and so we can learn," she said. "When me use to go to school me never used to sit up at night time to do homework but now me doing it," she said, with a big, confident smile.

Patricia Campbell, a 38-year-old single mother of two, said she heard about the programme through a mutual friend and decided it wouldn't hurt to check it out since she is now unemployed.

She said she wanted to do a course in housekeeping for the longest time but just could not afford the $35,000 quoted by one institution for a three-week course in housekeeping.

"So when I heard that this programme was free I said why not, because I really want to eventually get a job and so I came here," she said.

Cassandria Green, a 30-year-old single mother of Olympic Gardens, said she too has been unemployed for some time. Not only was she unable to afford to pay for training in housekeeping, but she had no idea where she could go to enrol in such a training course.

"I have learnt nuff things since I have been here," she said, adding that she is looking forward to completing the 10-week course and becoming qualified to get a job.

Karen Ormsby wants to do waitressing and said she is committed to sticking with the programme for the duration.

"I always liked waitressing but never got the opportunity to learn it," she said.

And Tamara Small, a 33-year-old single mother, is confident that she will be an expert at bartending by the end of the course.

"I am committed to seeing it through because I want to learn more than just standing behind the bar and serving a drink; I want to be able to mix drinks and all of that," she said, adding that she hopes to eventually secure a job in a hotel.

The only male in this batch, 22-year-old Jeffrey Kelly, said cooking has always been a love of his and training in food preparation will only inch him closer to his dream career of becoming a chef.

He had high praise for Clunie who he said is determined to see that they acquire the requisite knowledge at the end of the course.

"She puts us on the shore and give us a boat with a line and she wants us to fish for our harvest," he said.

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