Rose Hall cricket teams to host monthly pensioners’ programme

The First Division and Female Cricket Teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, on Wednesday last hosted their monthly programme for pensioners at the Rose Hall Town Post Office.
Members of the Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets First Division and Rose Hall Town Metro Female teams, along with their counterparts from the Club’s Over-35 Group, provided snacks and refreshments to nearly 300 pensioners while those waited to uplift their monthly Old Age pension.
Under the supervision of Vice President Mark Papannah and Asst Organising Secretary Ravin Kissoonlall, Club members provided hot tea, water, soft drinks, sandwiches, boiled channa, and a collection of fresh fruits to the pensioners. The programme was launched in March 2017 after a delegation of pensioners visited the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Office and met with Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster.
The delegation disclosed that some pensioners turn up at the Post Office from as early as 03.00 hours to uplift pensions which are usually paid from 11.00 hours. Numerous pensioners are known to have fainted or became ill while awaiting receipt of their pensions.
The two teams and Over-35 Group host the programme under their “We Care” Project on the first working day of each month. Foster said that members pool their financial resources and, together with funding from the Club’s charity programme, host the monthly project. The pensioners programme, Foster said, is one of the most pleasing projects the Club has undertaken, and he noted that since the project was launched in March, the amount of pensioners collecting pensions on the first of the month have doubled.
The Club plans to stage the pensioners programme during the first three working days of the month, and to consider requests to extend the programme to the Whim and Nigg Post Offices.
Arrangements are also being made by the two cricket teams for a doctor and team of nurses to be present during the exercise, to provide medical care for those feeling unwell.
During the month of May and June the teams shared special hampers and gifts to mothers and fathers respectively. The December edition would be a special one with meals and Christmas goodies for the pensioners, while twenty pensioners would also be selected to receive special Christmas hampers. The cricket teams also plan to visit shut-in pensioners to make their festive season memorable.
The Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets First Division Team is led by Shawn Pereira, with Clinton Pestano as his deputy, while West Indies player Shemaine Campbelle leads the Metro Female Team, with Erva Giddings as her deputy. The two teams have successfully completed a total of 83 personal development programmes.