THE Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights (RCTNH), under the leadership of newly inducted president, attorney-at-law Franchesca Francis, will be accelerating its mission to ‘empower’ the St Andrew North Western community of Maverley, which the club has been focusing on for 16 of its 18-year history.

In accepting the mantle of president of RCTNH recently, Francis pledged the club’s continued support for the community, where it will provide skills training and support for job placement for at least 20 residents over the course of the next year.

“Our major project, ‘Empowering Maverley’, was born out of a needs assessment conducted through questionnaires and conversations with residents and community stakeholders,” said Francis in her first address as president to her fellow Rotarians, including newly inducted District Governor Professor William “Bill” Aiken, urologist and head of Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine, at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus.

“In a community where many young people face barriers to employment and education, this programme is a meaningful step towards empowerment. Through partnerships with training institutions and businesses, we aim not just to train, but to create real, lasting opportunities. This is vocational service at its core — enhancing skills, building dignity, and creating sustainable change,” added Francis.

Her remarks follow on the club’s organisation and staging of the ‘Rise and Thrive’ Maverley Economic Expo in April, which successfully brought together private sector recruiters, financial institutions, and state training and other Government agencies, to scores of residents who poured into the Maverley Primary and Infant School to access the services and information.

Several benefited from job interviews, information on skills training, passport, and birth and death certificate registration. They were also able to access information on how to access financing for micro and small business start-ups and open bank accounts.

The economic expo was in addition to an annual back-to-school health fair staged by the club exclusively for the community, and an annual etiquette training session, in partnership with the University of Technology, Jamaica’s School of Hospitality for grade six students of the Maverley Primary and Infant School.

The club also recently provided smart tablets, donated by the Universal Service Fund, to the school, and will be donating more ahead of the start of the new school year.

“Our club’s ongoing presence in the Maverley community has shown us that transformation happens when we listen, engage, and remain committed,” said Francis.

“This year, we will continue to engage the various stakeholders in the community and execute projects that reflect Rotary’s avenues of service,” added Francis.

She said among the projects to be undertaken this year will be the acquisition and donation of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to benefit not only Maverley but also surrounding communities.

The AED helps to resuscitate a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, simply known as CPR, training will also be provided to residents. The initiative is in keeping with the district governor’s focus for the year to empower peoples of the 10 Caribbean countries in Rotary District 7020 with managing cardiovascular health and disease.

“Heart disease and related conditions remain one of the leading causes of death across the island. Too often, lives are lost or permanently altered simply because communities lack access to immediate, life-saving tools and knowledge. As a result, our club will prioritise a ‘Community Heart Health Campaign’,” Francis announced.

Health talks on cardiovascular health and screenings are also scheduled for the club’s upcoming back-to-school health fair on August 30.

“These interventions, although simple, have the power to prevent deaths and reduce complications from cardiovascular events. When someone suffers from sudden cardiac arrest, immediate CPR and access to an AED can increase survival rates by as much as 70 per cent. Imagine how many lives could be saved if more of our communities had that knowledge and access,” added Francis.