CHINA Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) recently completed their first assignment granted by the Government of Jamaica, the Palisadoes Shoreline Protection and Rehabilitation Works.

In keeping with the company’s culture of corporate social responsibility, CHEC agreed at this opportune time, to sponsor the Norman Manley International Airport’s (NMIA) annual charity fund-raiser, Palisadoes Walkathon 2013, which takes place on Saturday at 7:00 am.

There will also be an outdoor barbecue at Island Fridays at the airport on Friday at noon until 6:00 pm, when registration formally closes. Companies and individuals alike are encouraged to register and participate in the Walkathon at a cost of $1,000 per person, to either run or walk, for prizes ranging from airline tickets to gift baskets.

Registration takes place all week at the administration office near the police station by the Norman Manley International Airport. KOOL FM will broadcast live from the registration party where festivities will include food, fun, giveaways and games. All information and forms are available online at www.mia.aero.

NMIA’s Palisadoes Walkathon 2013, which sees its ninth event this year, will bring attention and much-needed funds to the Kingston Public Hospital Cancer Unit. The route starts out at the airport round-about heading towards Harbour View on the newly completed highway and turns around at 2.5k to return to the airport roundabout.

Though the race begins at 7:00 am, at 6:30 am participants will be professionally guided through a warm-up and briefed about protocols for participants. Following the excitement of the race, there will be food, entertainment and awards to wrap-up the morning.

In keeping with traditional Chinese culture of caring for the elderly, CHEC will present a special award to the oldest walker/runner who participates.

The Palisadoes road leading from the Norman Manley International Airport into Kingston has had a history of repeated damage by hurricanes and tropical storms. The Palisadoes Walkathon 2013 marks the end of the Shoreline Protection and Rehabilitation Works project that included the widening and raising of the road between the Harbour View roundabout and the Norman Manley International Airport.

The work also involved rock revetment works and the building of a boardwalk. Although the construction had not yet been completed, it stood up remarkably well when the outer bands of Hurricane Sandy battered the east south coast of the island in October 2012.

“China Harbour Engineering Company takes pride in the Palisadoes project and supports the environmental and community upliftment efforts associated with the work,” states Jennifer Armond, CHEC’s communications manager.

In 2011, as part of the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day, the CHEC Jamaica staff members joined other companies in cleaning up huge amounts of plastic bottles and other pollutants along the Palisadoes shoreline. Again in June, 2012, as part of its National Environmental Awareness Week and World Environment Day initiative, CHEC staff members returned to the Palisadoes strip to undertake another clean-up of pollutants.

“Working with the environment is a large part of what we do in our business operations daily,” says Nadine Tarawali, CHEC’s Health, Safety and Environmental Engineer in Jamaica.

“Consequently, the environmental protection ranks high in our programme of corporate social responsibility.”

The corporate social responsibility practices of CHEC mirror the social, economic and diplomatic objectives of the People’s Republic of China and focus on investing in people and building bridges of friendship worldwide.