Productivity Council, Harris Paints lend community a helping hand

IN RECENT times, there has been an appeal from various quarters for corporate Barbados to play a more active role in community development. The Productivity Council is one such organisation who has heard the call and responded positively. On July 21 2011, The Productivity Council, in a joint effort with Harris Paints Ltd., donated a number of garbage receptacles to the community of Bannister's Land, St. Michael. The Executive Director of the Council, Mr. John Pilgrim, along with Harris Paints' Human Resource and Training Manager, Ms. Kimberly Douglas, presented the receptacles to Mr. Ryan Bullen, community representative of Bannister's Land. The familiar saying "charity begins at home" was in full evidence as the community, which borders the Council's own 2nd Avenue, Belleville home, was guaranteed a more reliable way of storing refuse, which has become a small problem for them in recent times. The Council, whose mandate includes the provision of educational programmes in productivity for the public and private sector and the general populace, is certainly no stranger to giving back to the community, having provided some sponsorship of sporting events in the past. The Council, under the leadership of Mr. Pilgrim, has pledged its continued commitment to community development and the support of programmes which continue to positively affect the lives of our people. The Council plans to launch a survey later in the year which will seek to determine the value of corporate philanthropy; and the impact that this has on community and national development. Ms Douglas has pledged Harris Paints' continued support of similar initiatives by the Council, saying: "On behalf of Harris Paints, we are pleased to partner with The Productivity Council in this community initiative. One of our core values at Harris is that nothing takes precedence over safety, health and the environment. We therefore seek to build environmental awareness within our organisation wider Barbados, and to continue our efforts to be a community-minded corporate citizen. We've recently partnered with the Future Centre Trust in the Green Business programme and, with the help of our enthusiastic green team and staff, we were successful in achieving the award. So, like the NPC who contacted us for support of their project, we encourage businesses to think colour, think green and think Harris, and certainly, think community." (PR) http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=&NewsID=18926