Carol Brooks-Thompson: A selfless life

NEW YORK, USA — She embraces the quote from Dutch-born author Charles de Lint that says, “I don’t want to live in the kind of world where we don’t look out for each other…” And when All Woman caught up with Carol Brooks-Thompson at the 22nd annual gala of Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) here last weekend, she shared that she has been living a selfless life, something she learnt from a tender age growing up in Gordon Town, St Andrew.

“I was born in the parish of Louise Bennett-Coverley and Barbara Gloudon. I’m the second of seven children. My mom was a housewife and my father was a mason. He worked only when jobs were available, but no matter how hard it was, my mom always shared from the little she had with the less fortunate ones in the community, which motivated me to give back or do whatever I could to help others,” she said.

And so, as a teenager, Brooks-Thompson said she had the sole responsibility to take care of her siblings when her parents weren’t home. As she enjoyed babysitting her siblings, she volunteered to babysit other children in her community.

The seed was planted, and after migrating to the United States of America, Brooks-Thompson quickly got involved with the Jamaican Diaspora, which led to her involvement in several community and non-profit organisations.

“My passion to assist those less fortunate has always been a part of my daily life. Each year, sometimes twice per year, I would donate clothing and shoes to the Salvation Army well as my community back in Jamaica. Whenever I returned home, a bag or two of clothing would be for someone in my community. I even motivated my previous employers and their children to donate things they had which had not been touched or used in over a year,” she said.

She added: “In 2009, I became an active member of Team Carib Connect. Team Carib Connect started as a group of friends participating in charity walks in New York City for health issues that affected the community. Since then the team and I sometimes participate in no fewer than 13 charity walks per year. I would go to the gym or the track to prepare for those walks.”

She further explained that her work with Team Carib Connect includes three charity events which raise funds for two organisations that care for children affected by HIV and AIDS, and one organisation which supports screening for breast cancer.

“These three organisations are Dare to Care – a member of the Mustard Seed Communities, Children of Faith, and the Jamaica Cancer Society. I was also a very active member of the team mission to raise funds for dental work for ‘Tatty’, a young lady who the team adopted after learning her story of not just hardship but serious medical issues. The team met Tatty in Ocho Rios in 2015 and we soon realised that against all odds, she was full of life, hope, faith, and of strong will,” she said, adding that this gave her a renewed sense of hope to continue the work she was doing.

“My mission to the team was in overdrive when we returned to make sure that her dental work was covered. My community work did not only include walking or donating to Team Carib Connect and COJO, but also Open Doors Foundation in which I play an intricate part in their annual prom drive and the ‘Haiti, we rise to the cause’ mission and Mustard Seed.”

Admitting that her busy schedule has resulted in less visibility of her work, she stressed that it has not hindered her drive to donate or contribute in any way, shape or form.

Brooks-Thompson faithfully follows these maxims: “To whom much is given, much is expected” and “Do it man, God will bless you”.

COJO, headed by Jamaican Gary Williams, was established in 1994 to help needy children. Its aim is to help improve the health, education and general well-being of underserved children in the New York metropolitan area and Jamaica.