PORTMORE Community College’s Old Harbour campus has improved and expanded facilities, thanks to Churches Co-operative Credit Union.

Having recently relocated from the college grounds to its new Old Harbour sub-branch facilities at Shops 7 and 8 East Side Plaza, the credit union donated the retrofitted 40-foot container, within which the branch previously operated, to the college.

The facility will be used to provide much needed office space for the college’s administrative staff and as a result, will allow the academic staff to be more comfortably accommodated in the existing buildings.

“We were short of office space and because of the size of the container that Churches Co-operative Credit Union donated, we have been able to set up three new offices where we can accommodate the campus director and members of our secretarial staff,” said principal Karen Kennedy.

“Not only is the Churches Co-operative Credit Union’s donation going to be extremely useful, it is also enabling us to lift the profile of the institution because now we can hire an assistant bursar so we will be able to carry out more monetary transactions on campus, which will be an added convenience for the students,” she added.

In addition, the office which previously housed the campus director, is now being converted into a staff room, which will mean a more comfortable work environment for the college’s academic staff.

“When everything is set up, it’s certainly going to improve the quality of life at the campus and it’s certainly going to improve the administration of the campus because we now have additional space and my staff can be more comfortable,” Kennedy said further.

For the credit union, the decision to donate the container to the college marks the continuation of a solid partnership, which has strengthened during the three years that the credit union operated its Old Harbour sub-branch on the campus.

Rudolph Cox, who manages Churches Co-operative Credit Union’s Spanish Town and Old Harbour sub-branches credits his predecessor, Claude Sawyers — now manager of credit union’s Portmore branch — with the idea to make the donation.

“Because of the nature of the relationship that has developed over the years between the Churches Co-operative Credit Union and the campus, Sawyers had always envisioned Churches Co-operative Credit Union giving the container to the school whenever the decision was made to leave. When I succeeded him, I embraced that vision,” Cox said.

In exchange for the container, the credit union’s only requirement was that the college grant scholarships to two students from Old Harbour to pursue associate degree courses at that institution.

“We knew that donating the container would be a great way to give back to the community, but we decided that giving the container alone would not be enough. We wanted persons from the community to benefit in a tangible way so the decision was taken to make the scholarships a part of the package,” Cox added.

The credit union stipulated that the scholarship awardees, have a genuine financial need and that at least one recipient should reside in Old Harbour Bay.

Since its inception, Churches has had a policy of giving back to their customers and the wider community. The financial institution undertakes several outreach initiatives each year, including a parenting seminar series and free small business workshops across the island . The also offer scholarships, bursaries and grants for youths, in support of their academic pursuits.