ON the surface, Romario Simpson appears ultra calm, laid back even, unruffled by the noise and haste around him. But be not deceived by this fifth-year medical student who is clearly in a serious hurry to improve the lives of his compatriots.

Even while beating the books at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Simpson established the Destiny Hope Foundation of Jamaica, put his devoted mom Lorencio Simpson in charge of its day-to-day operations, and has been blazing a trail in community service.

The people who struggle each year to sift from among the hundreds of worthy young Jamaicans to find the most outstanding for the Prime Minister Youth Award for Excellence (PMYA) had it easy selecting Simpson last year for the award in the category of Nation Builder.

That was accompanied by a Sagicor Scholastic Scholarship made payable to The UWI as part of his award package that left the young man “humbled but ecstatic”.

To date, Simpson has contributed positively towards the advancement of a better Jamaica by participating or leading numerous initiatives/outreaches aimed at uplifting the less fortunate. The list reads:

• Fed over 400 individuals living on the street

• Conducted many conflict management sessions with a focus on the practice of restorative justice to reduce crime and violence in our society

• Conducted several initiatives in preparing students from volatile communities for GSAT (now PEP)

• Participated in numerous health fairs targeting communities such as Denham Town, Hannah Town and Tivoli Gardens in partnership with the Optimist Club of Manor Park – of which he is vice-president – the Diabetes Association of Jamaica, National Health Fund and the Jamaica Drug for the Elderly Programme.

“The mantra of my foundation is ‘Empowerment through Diversity and Volunteerism’. I embrace this mantra because I believe in a Jamaica built on positive attitudes, values and norms where if you work hard and honestly, people should be able to achieve their goals and excellence in all faucets of life.

“However, we have to be realistic about the socio-economic burden of the vast majority of our people, therefore I believe we all have a part to play in promoting patriotism and preserving the social justice of all, whether through monetary contribution or volunteerism,” Simpson insists.

But not satisfied with only putting in the time and the effort, he has, with the help of his family, raised funds to back up his activities. In the euphoria of receiving the Prime Minister’s Youth Award, Simpson embarked on a thankyou tour to present bursaries to several organisations that he considered to have been integral to the award process.

His cheque to President Suzanne Brown of the Optimist Club of Manor Park was especially meaningful as it marked the centennial year of the International Optimist movement. The funds were contributed specifically to its Childhood Health and Response Mission, which assists children with autism, childhood cancer and HIV/AIDS.

Presentations were also made to the Open Arms Development Centre, which cares for the homeless across Kingston and St Andrew, under the leadership of Yvonne Grant; and 2030 Youth Jamaica to help advance its programmes to make Jamaica the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business, from a youth-led perspective; as well as his church community of First Baptist Church in Kingston towards the development of the church, especially the refurbishing of the pews.

Chairman Simpson was effusive in his praise of stakeholders and sponsors, led by Lucalza Caribbean Limited and CN Industrial Supplies Limited, who back him with great enthusiasm.

“I plan to conduct another series of tours in the near future to present cheques to other key institutions/organisations, including my alma mater, Meadowbrook High School, to which I owe so much of my success to date,” Simpson told the Jamaica Observer.