PORT MARIA, St Mary — For more than 30 years, Friends of Port Maria has been making an invaluable contribution to the seaside village and surrounding districts through health and education initiatives.

The organisation was conceptualised by Lorna Fairweather, in her New York living room, with a few friends who had direct and indirect ties to the parish. Over the decades the group has focused heavily on supporting students. At Port Maria Primary School it provides annual Primary Exit Profile (PEP) cash scholarships to the three top-performing students to help with school expenses. The awards are made during the annual graduation ceremony, and many lives have been positively impacted.,

“One year after, a parent saw me and came to me and told me thanks, almost [moved] to tears. I was oblivious to what she was talking about,” Fairweather said as she recalled one moment that underscored the impact of the work being done by the organisation she launched.

“She said her daughter was one of the recipients of the scholarships that we gave out, and because of her getting the scholarship she was able to purchase the child’s eyeglasses that she was badly in need of.”

At times the support provided has a wider impact, as in the case of a fax machine donated to Port Maria Primary. Other schools have benefited from its use.

“I can recall one year the principal was to send me some documents and she had to travel out of the parish to get it done. We thought this was totally unacceptable and we raised the funds and brought the equipment. It has become useful to other schools,” said Fairweather.

Friends of Port Maria has also extended its hand of kindness to Mason Hall Primary through donations and support.

On August 1 this year the group will once again host its annual Emancipation Health Fair on the grounds of Port Maria Primary. The initiative started a few years ago after Fairweather and her team decided to remove the burden of parents having to pay to get students’ medical exams done before they return to school.

Port Maria Primary’s top-performing boy in the Primary Exit Profile exams, Malique Edwards receives his first-place cheque of $50,000 from Lorna Fairweather, founder of Friends of Port Maria..

This year’s health fair will be in collaboration with Preston Hill Alumni, Canji International Foundation, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness. Eye tests and prostate cancer screening will be among the services offered to members of the community.

It takes resources to do all that the organisation does, and this year’s annual fund-raising dinner — usually held in New York — will be held at Cabarita Restaurant & Grill in Port Maria.

Though most of its members are getting older or have passed, Fairweather is confident about the future of the organisation and has given her blessings to the current president, Sophia Taylor, to lead it into a new era.

“She is young, vibrant, and has a strong community spirit that many are drawn to,” Fairweather said.

For Taylor, taking up the mantle comes with challenges, but having benefited from community support, her thirst and vigour to give back fuel her drive to serve.

“Growing up and having challenges was a part of my daily routine, but it was because of sincere community members I was able to achieve what I have achieved through their contribution towards my school or a little encouragement. So, giving back and serving the community came naturally,” Taylor told the Observer.

As the group celebrates 30 years Fairweather hopes the association can attract more young members to ensure the work continues.

“We started with a heart to serve Port Maria. That heart is still beating,” she added.