PROCommunications, this year, allocated the budget for its traditional Christmas launch party to a soft-spoken elderly woman who needed a home.

Inviting colleagues and friends to join in the effort, staff of the communications firm — led by Jean Lowrie-Chin and Hubert Chin, the agency’s founder/managing director and director/administrative systems respectively — trekked to the tiny hamlet of Mount Salus, high above Kingston, to build a house for Sybil Morrison and her granddaughter Britanya on Saturday, December 10.

Food For the Poor (FFP), which was contracted by PROComm to take charge of the construction project, laid a sturdy foundation in advance of the ‘Party with a Purpose’.

On arrival at Mount Salus, the agency’s staffers and guests watched in awe as the talented team from the FFP Building Division raised the little house from a basic foundation. Once the structure was nearly complete, PROComm team members and guests alike lent a hand with the less technical aspects, mainly painting.

And as there were more willing hands than tasks to complete, some persons had to be satisfied with providing moral support for those wielding brushes and tools.

Morrison was all smiles, hugging her friends in gratitude. She was in need of a house because the roof of her former home had fallen in. But she had survived much worse than that in the past. In 2005, gunmen had invaded her home in Franklyn Town, killing her daughter, the mother of Britanya who was five at the time.

Morrison’s own mother had been so traumatised that she died shortly afterwards. With strong support from her friends and neighbours, Morrison has been gradually putting her life together again. Her courage inspired the Chins to select her as beneficiary of their non-traditional PROComm Christmas party.

Before the guests began to depart in the afternoon, the PROComm team took pleasure in presenting their sponsorship cheque of $278,400 to FFP Housing and Infrastructure Manager Spencer Reynolds, to pay for the unit.

Andrew Pairman of Anbell Group presented Morrison with drapes and rods to decorate her new home, while Shirley Rodney gave her household items. Other guests plan to send contributions when Morrison lets PROComm know what she needs.

Her wooden house, which sits on a concrete foundation, consists of one room, a small bathroom and a covered verandah.

Despite the lack of alcohol, “bling” and music, spirits were high, and all were proud of a most worthwhile mission accomplished.

Guests included PROComm board members Anne Marie Thomas and Lana Smith, chairman of Golden Age Home Rion Hall, Seragh and Effie Lakasingh, Morin and Verla Seymour, Women’s Media Watch’s Hilary Nicholson, Wyvolyn Gager, Carmen Patterson, Shirley Rodney, Cecille Maye-Hemmings, Angela deFreitas and Dawn Stephenson.

Lowrie-Chin said the donation was made possible through the hard work of the entire PROComm team: Erica James-King, Errol Howlett, Anita Chin, Staci Smith, Noel Chin, Vicki Cann, Angela Foote, Mugabe Marks, Roy Johnson and Chanese Malcolm; and consultants Dorett Linton and Sandy McIntosh.