The Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS) held its annual general meeting on May 28 at Knutsford Court Hotel in St Andrew and reiterated its commitment to building a safer and more socially equitable Jamaica.
“It is the council’s intention to continue building on the momentum gained from its work in 2018. As such, we will endeavour to keep reviewing, retooling, and fine-tuning the growth pillars of our strategies in 2019,” Saffrey Brown, chair of the executive committee, told representatives of the 60 member agencies in attendance.
President Gary “Butch” Hendrickson, in his message, recalled that at the 2018 annual general meeting he had challenged the council to improve efficiency and accountability.
“As the leading umbrella agency for the voluntary sector, the council needed to ensure that both itself and its members were delivering stated objectives; becoming more responsive to the needs of various stakeholders; doing business more efficiently and effectively; providing greater levels of accountability; and practising good governance,” Hendrickson said.
“I am happy that steps are being taken to ensure the continued increasing value of the council to the voluntary sector. As members, you have seen that there has been a significant scaling up of capacity building offered through our network of partners, and I am pleased to see that the National Volunteer Centre is becoming the hub of learning and sharing for the voluntary sector,” Hendrickson said.
He thanked the executive committee and staff for their relentless efforts in advancing the work of the council. He also thanked sponsors, donors, and partners who have been consistent with their generous support for programmes and special events.
“To you our members: continue to improve on operational efficiency and accountability, and let us move forward in confidence, as together we build a great nation,” Hendrickson added.
Founded in 1940, the CVSS is the oldest and largest coordinating body for 103 voluntary non-governmental organisations based in Jamaica.
Published in the Jamaica Observer, June 3, 2019
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