TREY Hewitt, a third-year student at The University of the West Indies (UWI), is one step closer to realising his dreams of creating a comfortable life for himself and his mother following a $50,000 gift from Malta as part of the brand’s 40th anniversary. Hewitt, a land surveying and geological information sciences student, will use the money to invest in his mother’s chicken farm, a venture he believes will yield good returns.

In expressing gratitude for the well-needed support, Hewitt beamed as he shared how timely the gift was.

“My mother and I share a very close bond. I want to invest this money into her farm because I see where it has the potential to grow even bigger. She is also head chef at Belmont Academy in Westmoreland and the chicken reared is sold to the school. I would like for her to have chickens ready to be plucked every two weeks instead of every six weeks.”

He is among 40 persons who were each gifted $50,000 by Malta as part of the brand’s 40th anniversary celebration to express gratitude to its customers for their support over the years.

Hewitt went on to point out that his mother bears the financial responsibility of the family and has been faithful in ensuring her children are well taken care of and have access to education.

“My mother is a lady who I love, respect and admire endlessly. She always finds a way to make the impossible possible and she is hard-working and dedicated to us, her children. Over the years I’ve watched her wake up at 4:00 am every day to get to work by 6:00 am to prepare lunch for the students and staff. She is usually the first ancillary staff member to arrive, and oftentimes the last to leave. She remains consistent and has been doing this for 14 years since the school opened in 2009. All of this dedication is because of the love she has for us, her children. She is adamant that we go to school every day and get an education. If I invest in her business it will also help me in the future with things such as my school fees or rent, which I pay on a monthly basis,” he shared.

The Westmoreland native began pursuing his bachelor’s degree in hopes of positively impacting the field in Jamaica. “I decided to pursue this degree because it suits my personality. I don’t like to feel trapped or be in one place for a long period of time. A land surveyor is always on the go, exploring new places, meeting new people, and solving problems. Another reason I chose this path is that I feel like God has been directing my life towards becoming a land surveyor. I love and appreciate the profession and the problems that surveyors solve,” said Hewitt.

He views Malta’s gift not only as support for his financial needs but as a boost for his dreams of giving back to Jamaica.

“I see myself having a positive impact with my career as there are a lot of unregistered lands in Jamaica. The Government is trying to move to the systemic land registration system, and as a future land surveyor I would be the person on the ground who is able carry out these surveys to create plans, diagrams and maps to help the Government with unregistered parcels and help the citizens of Jamaica to attain their land titles.”

For Malta Brand Manager Jodi-Ann Campbell, it’s the lasting impact of the 40th anniversary gifts that made the milestone celebrations meaningful.

“We are truly grateful, not just to give back to our customers but to know that our tokens of appreciation can fuel the dreams of so many and jump-start their future. Trey’s story is one of many that has warmed our hearts; stories of people who are happy to receive these funds so that they can enrich someone else’s life — and that’s what Malta is all about, caring for others, fuelling dreams.”