After what has been welcomed as a successful first staging of a campaign to promote positive fatherhood, Managing Director of Mavcom, Paul Morris is thinking to make this an annual event.

Eliana Receives her prize from Marsha Morris

And, Morris whose business spearheaded the initiative observed after a panel discussion that closed out the activities around the campaign that there is a dire need for ongoing discussion on the importance of positive fatherhood.

“Recognising the importance of positive fatherhood- while I am aware of the importance of highlighting the topic, I was overwhelmed by the level [of] interest shown and the positive feedback from parents and the youth” Morris commented. He noted that calls for mentorship programmes in schools, programmes aimed at breaking the cycle of absentee fathers and finding ways to engage men in their communities show that the Vincentian society is ready to support initiatives aimed at promoting the importance of positive fatherhood.

The panellists in the discussion on ‘ The Importance of Positive Fatherhood’ held on Sunday, June 26 were Psychiatrist, Dr Amrie Patterson; Methodist Minister, Rev Adolf Davis; Pastor Al Blake; and Headmaster of the St Vincent Grammar School, Colin Sam. Sunday’s event included an award ceremony for the winners of the essay and social media competitions, a release from Mavcom states.

The essay competition on the topic, “The Importance of Fathers” was open to CPEA students. The competition was won by Devin Warner of the Questelles Government School. He was presented with a 15 inch laptop and a laptop bag. His school received a Lexmark MX521 printer and toner. Eliana Greenidge of the Kingstown Preparatory School placed second, and LaRaun Robinson of the Biabou Methodist School placed third. Eliana and LaRaun won cash prizes for themselves and printers for their schools. The social media campaign invited persons to submit photos of themselves with their father or a father figure and an explanation of the person’s impact on their lives. Winners in this competition are Trevor Sam, Kevin Toby, Osborne Williams, Mugabe Fergus, Sheldon Wood and Garnet Williams. The winners received gift vouchers or gift baskets.

Morris expressed sincere gratitude to Searchlight Newspaper, Stormy Windz Productions, Highpoint Church, Polished Beauty Clinic, G.I. Investments Beachcombers Hotel, Facey Trading, Garden Care Plus, Frank B. Armstrong and Better Brand Ltd, Lexmark, Sweet Radio SVG and Christlike Radio, the sponsors and partners who helped to make the Mavcom 2022 “Recognition of the Impact of Positive Fatherhood” a success. “We are planning to make this an annual event, and we are exploring ways to continue the campaign throughout the year,” Morris promised.

Mavcom, a Vincentian electronics and Information Communications Technology business, is well known for its ongoing corporate social responsibility programme which generally supports education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.