Wednesday, 06 May 2020 09:51

Credit Unions pop $4 million towards Covid Fight

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The Credit Unions of Jamaica have demonstrated that it takes cash to care, digging deep in support of the Together We Stand Covid-19 Telethon with a huge pledge of J$4 million.

Staying true to their mandate and the philosophy of people helping people, several of Jamaica’s credit unions have joined forces to support the initiative which is aimed at raining US$10.5 million to procure much needed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontline workers in the health and essential services sectors.

Group Marketing Manager at Credit Unions of Jamaica Claudette Christie said the decision to donate was a no-brainer. “It wasn’t something we had to think about. As soon as we heard that the Telethon was on we decided to contact all of our member credit unions and bring them on board. At this moment we are at $4 million but that could very well increase as some of our members are yet to indicate their level of contribution.” 

She added: “The credit union movement is a family organisation. So when there is something that affects the family of humanity, we immediately understand the need to help. We recognised that if Jamaica does not get adequate supplies of PPE, the nation would be in trouble. We see what is happening in other parts of the world and we are playing our part that we don’t get to those crisis levels.”

She said the credit unions across the country have been adjusting their policies to help their members cope with the challenges posed by Covid-19. “Some credit unions have given a moratorium on loan payments or they have changed the payment schedules. Some have lowered interest rates and given grants to members. We have encouraged our members to use their Access Plus cards rather than going into branches and for those credit unions that have online banking, we encourage their members to make use of that facility. We are all in this together; Together We Stand.”

Minister Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Honourable Olivia Grange praised the Credit Unions of Jamaica for the bold move noting that it was a good sign of Corporate Social Responsibility. “I am happy that Corporate Jamaica is joining us in this effort. Even as we prepare for this Telethon we are seeing more confirmed cases of Covid-19 coming through. So we are not out of the woods by any means and we need to continue to battle. This donation will go a far way towards the goal. I am urging those who have not yet come on board to step up, because we can only beat this if we stand together.”

The Telethon, which run from 3-9pm, will be aired live on TVJ in Jamaica and will be streamed across the world on all social media platforms.

Among the celebrities scheduled to participate on Sunday are legendary sprinter Usain Bolt, reigning Miss World Toni-Ann Singh, Buju Banton, Koffee, Omi, Julian Marley, Spice, Cat Coore of Third World, Marcia Griffiths, Richie Stephens, Ding Dong, Richie Spice, Chris Martin, Kevin Downswell, Jermaine Edwards, Kukudoo, Lubert Levy, Rondell Positive, Sista Pat, Candy Isaacs, and others.

For more information on the Telethon and how you can donate please visit: www.jatogetherwestand.com.