IT was a full-circle moment for one recipient of the NCB Foundation’s Grant-a-Wish competition who shared his awe-inspiring story of benefiting from the philanthropic efforts of NCB Chairman Michael Lee-Chin’s parents to now being blessed by their son through the bank’s initiative.

Last month, the NCB Foundation’s Grant-a-Wish competition invited Jamaicans to enter the competition and encouraged them to vote for contestants whose wish they wanted to see come true.

The 18 individuals and organisations that received grants were community heroes, charities, schools needing improvements to computer labs, persons with disabilities, and people in need of medical assistance.

In addition, NCB staff were given the opportunity to vote for three of the recipients. One recipient whom NCB staff voted for was Andrew Miles, an amputee.

Miles’ interesting story on Thursday, created a jaw-dropping moment for Lee-Chin when he revealed that the billionaire’s mother had also played a key role in his life.

“Honourable Michael Lee-Chin, God will continue to bless you and the NCB Foundation. You are looking at a young man who Gloria Chen and Vincent Chen grew from 1983 to 1990. That lady showed us what respect and customer care is, and how to take care of the elderly and people with differences. I was a part of their supermarket. Sir, the seed of Gloria Chen still lives in you. As an education officer, I have seen you give back to the students. You have done well. God will continue to bless your territory, Mr Michael Lee-Chin,” said Miles at the NCB Foundation’s Grant-a-Wish reveal event, held Thursday at the NCB Wellness and Recreation Centre on Phoenix Avenue.

He added: “My last year of University of the West Indies in 1988, I could not afford it. Your mother, Gloria Chen, gave me an open cheque to finish my university degree. Today, I have two masters degree. When you were purchasing that bank, I was employed at Mico College in 2002 as a lecturer and now I am an education officer. Your mother gave me my wedding present of a stainless cutlery set that still lives in my cabinet. Your mother has been living in me. Please continue to talk about Gloria Chen, because her seeds live in you. Continue to give.”

In the meantime, the NCB Foundation Grant-a-Wish competition split up $15 million among 17 other individuals, schools and charities.

The NCB chairman, in his remarks, paid homage to his late mother, pointing out that her legacy of caring for others set the stage for his philanthropic efforts.

He further praised his mother for sowing the right seeds in him at an early stage, and said he was where he is today because his mother and other people gave him opportunities.

“I am inordinately blessed; therefore, as an inordinately blessed person, what are my responsibilities to those who are less blessed? If we were born in Gaza today, how would we feel about life? It was best to be born in this country. I conclude that NCB has to be a vessel to uplift all those people who were born in an era where they were misfits. NCB started off in this new era as a company with a heart. All of us in this room are here for many reasons that we had nothing to do with; therefore, we have a responsibility and hence, Grant a Wish is in keeping with that humbleness, that attitude that those of us who can should. Everybody has a story, irrespective of where you are in life,” Lee-Chin said.

“Everybody wants to be able to aspire and realise their aspirations, hence Grant a Wish is rooted in what we really believe in. This is not marketing. We care about people. We don’t leave anyone behind, irrespective of what strata of society they started off. They don’t have to be there at the end. Our passion is to uplift everybody to help them to realise their aspirations,” Lee-Chin continued.

He added: “I was born to a parent who had standards, values, guided me and led by example. I was blessed on three counts that I had nothing to do with. That was the thought that came to my mind just before writing the cheque to buy NCB. I wondered how was it possible.”