SENIOR citizens in Stadium Gardens, St Andrew, turned out from as early as 5:00 am on Labour Day to lead a major community restoration effort, highlighting the increasingly active role many older Jamaicans continue to play in strengthening neighbourhoods and civic life across the island.

Armed with paintbrushes, rakes, cutlasses, and decades of community pride, the elderly residents helped coordinate and carry out improvement works at Stadium Gardens Community Centre and surrounding areas in what they described as a long-standing tradition of active citizenship and volunteerism.

Supported by a $300,000 contribution from Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation, the charitable arm of Red Stripe, the Stadium Gardens project was selected from more than 50 submissions received through a Labour Day social media campaign aimed at identifying community projects that could support volunteerism efforts while delivering meaningful and lasting impact across Jamaican communities.

Communications manager, sustainability and internal at Red Stripe Daika Mitchell, said Stadium Gardens stood out because of the strong resident involvement behind the submission, the project’s immediate benefit to the wider community, and the visible role senior citizens continue to play in community development.

“What made this project particularly meaningful was the level of ownership residents demonstrated from the beginning, especially the leadership shown by senior citizens within the community,” Mitchell said.

“Through the D&G Foundation, we wanted to support a project that reflected genuine community pride and collective action. Beyond the physical improvements there is also an important lesson here about intergenerational responsibility and the role communities play in sustaining and caring for shared spaces over time,” added Mitchell.

Residents refurbished the community centre and carried out a series of improvement works, including repainting road markings, and speed bumps, cutting overgrown areas, mounting safety signs, and preparing the site for the installation of a potable water tank.

Among those leading the effort was 70-year-old military veteran Dennis Brown, who said he has participated in Labour Day activities in the community for more than three decades.

For Brown and many others in the community, Labour Day has become less about symbolic participation and more about preserving pride, ownership, and connection within the area they have helped shape over decades.

He was among several senior citizens who arrived before sunrise to help coordinate and support the day’s activities.

“We may be retired, but we still want to take care of where we live,” Brown said.

“The younger generation has to see that community pride doesn’t stop with age. We have to continue setting the example,” added Brown.

Stadium Gardens Citizens’ Association President Meisha Marie Paul said the Labour Day effort highlighted the important role senior citizens continue to play in preserving community culture and strengthening neighbourhood connections.

“People genuinely wanted to contribute. There was a real sense of ownership and pride throughout the day,” Paul said.

“In many ways, our older residents remain the heartbeat of the community. They carry the history of the area, they understand the importance of looking after shared spaces, and they continue to inspire that same spirit of togetherness and civic responsibility in others,” added Paul.

Military veteran Dennis Brown, who has participated in Labour Day activities for more than 35 years, assists with roadside clean-up during this year’s observance.

Member of Parliament for St Andrew South Eastern Julian Robinson, along with brand and corporate public relations manager at Red Stripe Tyheissa Williams painting the Stadium Gardens Community Centre on Labour Day.

Elderly resident Titnel Martin helps prepare sections of Stadium Gardens Community Centre for restoration during the Labour Day project.