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In the 1960s a day care centre for children from the Tunapuna region was established in East Trinidad, Macoya.
For a short time, the day care facility served its purpose of child development and community outreach. However, in 1994, the day care centre was remodeled into the Cyril Ross Home – a residential home for children living with HIV/AIDS – to meet a variety of other pressing needs, including the medical, emotional, spiritual and educational needs of young children and teenagers. Owned and operated by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Cyril Ross Home houses thirty-five (35) children between the ages of 2 and 18 years.
When asked what has been the Home’s biggest milestone in the last five years, Manager Claudia St. Bernard beamed as she spoke about its role in curtailing the number of HIV/AIDS related deaths. “When people ask what sort of impact we’re making, I always mention our role in curbing the number of deaths at the institution itself. The kids here receive anti-retroviral medication every month and it has been making a tremendous impact. It’s good to see a child, come in at an early age and live beyond childhood”
She continues, “We’ve also become a haven for the children who are usually in need of love, care and attention.” In 2011, statistics show that more than 13,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in Trinidad. Claudia is happy that her home is able to make what she calls a ‘small’ but ‘important’ impact on society.
Even as Cyril Ross continues to make strides, Ms. St. Bernard is looking forward to developing their psycho-social needs even further. She notes, “With all the care and medicine they receive, many of the residents still need to develop a sense of self-worth, self-esteem and healthy respect for authority. We would like to hire a trained professional, who can manage this for us.”
For the last nine years the Massy Foundation has provided annual grants in support of the NGOs work.
Repeating another historic victory, Massy Trinidad All Stars won the National Carnival Band Association’s Band of the Year title for 2015. Decked in all white, the National Panorama champs stole the competition with its presentation ‘Ships Ahoy at a French Festival.’
Last year, the steelband dominated the field with its portrayal of sailor mas and went down in history for being the second steelband to capture the coveted title since the competition was inaugurated in 1963.
This year, All Stars racked up 842 points to take them 93 points ahead of second place winner.
Congratulations to the entire band who continue to work tirelessly in their production of infectious music and beautiful mas.
Massy Distribution (Trinidad & Tobago) is now offering a great new one-stop-shop package for healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals, such as doctors and other healthcare providers, can now receive:
· Medical Equipment and Pharmaceuticals (through Massy Distribution)
· Lab and Point Of Care Equipment (through Massy Distribution)
· Office Equipment and Solutions (through Massy Technologies InfoCom)
· Financing (through Massy Finance GFC)
· Insurance (through Massy United Insurance)
All these services can be accessed via Massy Distribution, as the primary point of contact. See attached ad for more details.
Months after completing a massive rebranding exercise, the Massy Group of Companies opened T&T’s first SuperCentre at the Trincity Industrial Estate, Tacarigua.
With 38,000 square feet of retail space, the one stop shop offers increased shopping options with a wide range of electronics, household and personal care items in addition to its supermarket offerings. The opening attracted hundreds of customers who lined up outside the outlet long before its doors opened to the public
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Congratulations to Massy Trinidad All Stars for winning the 2015 Panorama title.
Massy Trinidad All Stars gave a smooth performance of Leon “Smooth” Edwards’ “Unquestionable” to steal the 2015 Panorama title in the Large Band category.
Performing in front of a large crowd at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Saturday night, All Stars amassed 289 points to dethrone its rival Phase 11 Pan Groove. This win is particularly significant for the band as this year marks its 80th anniversary. Special kudos to long standing member Dane Gulston, Operations Manager Jason “Stumps” Lewis and Founder Nevile Jules.
The Massy Group of Companies extends congratulations to the entire band for its memorable performance and well deserved win.
This past week, the philanthropic arm of the Massy Group, the Massy Foundation delighted steel pan enthusiasts and Carnival culture aficionados with the premiere of the film “Souls of Steel: A Documentary about Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra”.
The launch event and screening took place at the iconic Little Carib Theatre in Woodbrook, Port-Of-Spain and attracted a unique mix of past and present Massy Trinidad All Stars players, supporters of the band, T&T cultural stakeholders and members of the local film, entertainment and media fraternity.
On hand at the event was Beresford Hunte, Manager, Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra who thanked all attendees for their presence on the momentous occasion and expressed his gratitude to the Massy Foundation for its steadfast support of the band throughout the years. Echoing Hunte’s excitement about the film was Gaston Aguilera, Chairman, Massy Foundation who shared his and the Foundation’s enthusiasm to be associated with ‘Souls of Steel’.
Souls of Steel which was directed by regional film director and producer, Dave Cropper of Cropper Media Limited, was commissioned in 2013 by the Massy Group (then Neal & Massy) in honour of its 25th anniversary as the Corporate Sponsor of the Massy Trinidad All Stars. Cropper artfully wove together a mix of perspectives about Trinidad All Stars, its history, its achievements, its culture and values and its journey in the 2014 Panorama competition, offering a multi-faceted look at the famed steel band.
During the screening the appreciative audience at Little Carib Theatre enjoyed many interesting on-screen anecdotes from players who reminisced on the bands evolution over the last 3 decades, inspiring interviews with past and current members such as Leon ‘Smooth’ Edwards, Arranger, Dane Gulston, long-standing member, Jason ‘Stumps’ Lewis, Operations Manager, Neville Jules, Founder, as well as classic clips of the Massy Trinidad All Stars’ past performances.
The film’s content also includes footage from the band’s Panorama performance in 2014 – a contentious year for the band in which they placed second to Phase II Pan Groove in the Panorama Finals, missing the championship by only one point. This production was timely as 2015 also marks the 80th Anniversary of Massy Trinidad All Stars.
The recent launch event not only provided invited guests with a platform for networking over delightful local delicacies and discussing the recent 2015 Panorama Semi-Finals which saw the Massy Trinidad All Stars triumphantly topping all the competition, but it also gave a first look at what can be deemed a true ‘piece of history’ about the 8 time National Panorama champions.
The launch and screening at Little Carib Theatre was one of several activities planned by the band to commemorate its 80th Anniversary throughout the year.
View photos from the event at http://www.lime.tt/2015/02/souls-of-steel-screening/
The Massy Foundation will soon start the first ever Boys to Men Programme to be held in Tobago. The programme will kick start with a stakeholder meeting on February 26, 2015 at the Buccoo Community Centre and then the first meeting with participants will be held on March 5, 2015 at 4 p.m. at the same location. The Boys to Men programme is a leadership programme designed for young men between the ages of 14 and 21 years. The programme’s lead facilitator, Ian Jeffers uses the tool of developmental conversations to focus young, male participants on pertinent leadership themes such as fatherhood, entrepreneurship, nationalism and conflict resolution. The following outline other community programmes planned for the year:
- Port of Spain (start date – March 2
- La Brea (start date – March 7)
- Youth Training Centre (start date – March 7)
- Mayaro (start date – March 7)
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On January 23, 2015, over 900 retired employees of the Massy Group (formerly Neal & Massy) gathered at the Centre of Excellence for an insightful and informative morning of reconnecting with each other.
Massy’s President & Group CEO, Gervase Warner, kicked off the morning with a presentation about the Group’s rebranding, explaining the reasons for the change. His remarks were preceded by a short video which featured clips from various events in which the Group’s new corporate identity was unveiled.
Shortly thereafter, the morning’s feature speaker, Dr. Jennifer Rouse of the Division of Aging gave an inspiring speech about adapting to change. Her address took a spiritual slant and she encouraged retirees to be active, mindful and open to change. She left the audience to contemplate answers to a number of thought provoking questions such as: what’s your brand?, how do you want to be remembered? and how do you influence others?.
Paula Rajkumasrsingh, Group CFO, Massy Group closed off the morning with heartfelt ‘thank you’s’ to all in who contributed to the success of the event, in particular, Amanda McMillan, Employee Benefits Manager and her team who worked tirelessly to ensure that attendees were duly appreciated.
The Massy Foundation supports various NGOs across Trinidad & Tobago through the disbursement of annual grants. These grants are intended to offset some of the administrative costs associated with running the operations of the NGOs we support.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that we’re not just about giving out charity but we’re involved in a number of long term programmes as well.” So says head of the Salvation Army Major Emmanuel Supre, while commenting on the NGO’s multi-faceted work and deep rooted history in Trinidad and Tobago.
Located on Henry Street Port of Spain, The Salvation Army has been serving the people of Trinidad and Tobago for more than one hundred and fifteen years. As Major Supre sees it, “we’ve been around for a very long time and we work really hard to assist persons from all walks of life.”
The Salvation Army was established to help the most disadvantaged and affected citizens. Some of the services include homes for senior citizens, kindergarten schools, a feeding programme for the homeless and a disaster relief programme. The NGO also provides counselling for persons living with HIV/AIDS and victims of domestic abuse and has developed programmes to assist with youth development.
Although Major Supre’s stint will end in three years, he is determined to make a big difference while in office. “I have a mandate to fulfill and even though I won’t be here for a long time, I am committed to saving the lives of as many people as possible.”
For the last nine years the Massy Foundation has provided annual grants in support of the NGOs work.