INNER-CITY ACTIVIST, pastor and management consultant, Dr. Henley Morgan, recently received the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce's Individual Community Service Award.
Two years ago Dr. Morgan decided to move his company, Caribbean Applied Management Technology Centre Ltd., out of upscale New Kingston. Unusually for a company that provides services for the likes of Pepsi, Petrojam and Lasco, his address now reads 85 West Road, Trench Town, Kingston 12.
Sharing space on his office compound is his Praise City International Church, which, in partnership with Pastor Errol Henry, boasts a congregation of 400.
But his main passion is his nascent Agency for Inner-city Renewal (AIR) which hosts well-attended community meetings, several of which have been visited by Volunteer Today.
EMPLOYMENT
Dr. Morgan has provided employment for over 100 persons and also stimulated several small businesses, including a cluster on his compound. The Miracle Club also works to mentor young people and help them gain university scholarships.
The 'Doc', as he is known locally, describes himself as a social entrepreneur. "That's basically someone who goes where angels fear to tread and only fools would venture and governments have abdicated their responsibility, and tries to take those wasted human assets and create something good out of it all," he explained.
"Believe it or not you do not need to be altruistic to the point whereby you do not see wealth coming out of the place. I think the best thing you can do is to demonstrate that you can make money out of the place and the community needs that more than anything else," he added.
R.S.
