More than 50 years after it was started, the Tryall Fund continues to make a positive impact on the lives of several residents of Hanover communities around the club, with a commitment to do even more.
With its focus on health and education, the Tryall Fund has donated almost 150 scholarships to students at all levels; enrolled more than 600 students in its 'Success by Six' basic school project; and has seen more than 900 patients in its dental clinic and some 2,000 patients each year at the Sandy Bay Evening Clinic.
"We started at the Sandy Bay Basic School bringing in computers and a phonics programme to help the pre-school children get ready for first grade. When they started, 19 of the 20 children there were not yet ready for the first grade, and six months later, 19 of the 20 were ready," said Tryall director Janet Clauson.
ONE YEAR LATER
"When they checked these children one year later, most of the children were in the top 10 of their classes. So they took that success and they expanded it to another four or five basic schools ... plus, they added a nutrition aspect, where they prepared breakfast and lunch for the children," added Clauson.
She said over the past three to four years, the Tryall Fund has arranged for a dental programme to visit Jamaica for one week each June, giving free service to staff and residents.
According to Clauson, under the scholarship programme, students are awarded between $50,000 and $100,000 each year, with more than $42 million spent so far.
The fund is also involved in a programme dubbed EMED, which offers free emergency and ambulance services to all members of staff.
"Even if we have to go overseas, they will transport team members and guests to anywhere the medical team says we are to go," declared Angeline Anderson, director of human resources at Tryall.
The Tryall team was speaking with The Sunday Gleaner hours before the club's annual general meeting where the three directors nominated by the group dubbed 'Concerned Members' were elected.
A dispute over the three vacancies had sparked allegations that Jamaicans were being locked out of the leadership of the club, but this was rejected by the directors, who argued that the five persons nominated had been giving a chance to be elected at Thursday's AGM.