Ross Sheil, Staff Reporter
David Roberts (left), chief operating officer of Caribbean Directories (Jamaica) Ltd. watches as PALS chairman Morin Seymour (centre) fornalises the appointment of Robert 'Bobby' Bond (right) as PALS fund-raising and marketing manager, held at The Gleaner head office on North Street, Kingston on Friday, March 31. - Andrew Smith/Photography Editor
THE ORGANISATION Peace and Love in Society (PALS) now has a full-time fund-raiser and marketing manager, thanks to the sponsorship of Yellow Pages Caribbean.
For the next three years the company will pay the salary of former insurance executive Robert 'Bobby' Bond who volunteered his services to PALS three years ago to develop a marketing plan for the organisation.
Mr. Bond will be helping the organisation realise its aim of being one of the main providers of dispute resolution services
in Jamaica. PALS recently expanded its remit from PALS (schools) to PALS (society).
"It's an opportunity for me to use the skills I have built up in my professional background and to achieve significant results to carry PALS forward and I thank PALS for this opportunity," said a confident Mr. Bond at the signing of the sponsorship agreement held at The Gleaner's North Street, Kingston head office on Friday, March 31. He has been in the position since March 2.
According to Morin Seymour, PALS chairman, the appointment comes at an opportune time, as NGOs that are not properly funded will no longer survive.
"Undeniably the private sector has supported PALS over the years. This contribution to PALS is really welcome because it marks a new threshold for fund-raising of NGO's in Jamaica," said Mr. Seymour, who is also the executive director of the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) Ltd.
Volunteer Today has found fund-raising deficiencies to be a frequent grouse among NGOs. YMCA general secretary, Sarah Newland-Martin, is just one prominent figure in the sector who has expressed a desire for a company to sponsor or lend a qualified person to fund-raise for her organisation.
"We have experienced very reduced donations from the private sector and many programmes like ours have been affected," said PALS General Manager Janilee Abrikian.
Mr. Bond will also be responsible for marketing the organisation's expanded role to incorporate the wider public.
Yellow Pages Caribbean Chief Operations Officer, David Roberts, said that the company would be happy to review the relationship when Mr. Bond's three-year term comes to an end.
"Our three-year sponsorship commitment will help to ensure that the message of peace and love is carried to the hearts and minds of all Jamaicans," he said.
Yellow Pages previously supported PALS by featuring it on the cover of its telephone directory during the last two years.
About PALS
- The organisation now operates in 150 schools nationwide.
PALS PROGRAMMES:
- Conflict resolution and violence reduction for schools
- Classroom and behaviour management
- Conflict resolution for the workplace, families and communities
