Labour Day was officially observed yesterday, but the Scotiabank volunteers at the Victoria and Blake branch did not wait till then to spearhead a facelift in central Kingston, where the branch is located.

They spent Saturday morning giving the walls at the front of Calabar Infant, Primary and Junior High School the much-needed makeover, repainting them bright yellow.

The major Scotiabank project, spread over three days, was at the Bustamante Hospital for Children in St Andrew but the volunteers at Victoria and Blake stuck to the proverb, 'charity begins at home'.

"We feel that we needed to connect more with our community," said Andrea Douglas, project coordinator for the day and senior operations officer at the branch.

The group of about 25, which included Branch Manager Donna Maxwell, also filled potholes in front of the school and painted the kerbs with rich gold. While Maxwell would rather not spend her career painting and smoothing wet concrete, she was at ease with her paintbrush and broom.

It feels good

"It's great, it's good to be involved ... . We feel good, we have a sense of fulfilment to know that we are doing this for them," she declared.

Such sentiments were supported by Dwayne Morgan, a teller. The Excelsior High School graduate said, "It's heartfelt ... . Education is a very important part of the Jamaican society, so we as a branch came together to beautify the school." Like his manager, he will not lock his till away and pick up the paintbrush, as he said, laughing, "Because I can't paint!"

The day's activities were supervised by Patrick Williams, a porter at the branch. Normally, he would be the one supervised, but on Saturday, he was calling the shots. The experienced painter, who was bubbling with laughter, exclaimed, "I am in charge! I am in charge! I'm very proud to be in charge, and it's very important to be in charge today ... everybody cooperating."

Other members of the team included Jerome McPhail, Scotia DBG representative at Victoria and Blake; Beverley Marshall, senior personal banking assistant, and young volunteer, Shaniel Watson, of Jessie Ripoll Primary School.

paul.williams@gleanerjm.com