Photo Source: Digicel Foundation Jamaica

It’s easy to complain about the issues that you have with Digicel. Imagine… you bought $200 credit to call a lady that you’re courting. The conversation is going great and you’re about to ask her out on a date when you hear the voice of another woman saying, “you have one minute left on this call”.

It’s also annoying to call customer service and have to wait for more than a minute… despite the fact that they’re probably over ten thousand people calling at that same moment. After all, we’re all busy and we all have things to do.

Now, you can say what you want about Digicel, but they’re never too busy to give back to the community and, in particular, people with special needs. Through the Digicel Foundation, the organization has positively impacted the lives of those living with disabilities.

So, to all my peeps who will be partying the night before (an excuse for running a slow time), to all my peeps who have so much work to do on the weekend, to all my peeps who are afraid to go downtown… Here are 4 reasons to participate:

1.  Healthy Lifestyle (Ladies)

It’s not that you don’t look fabulous. You have an amazing body… you got it like that. There are many ways to embrace a healthy lifestyle but eating a bucket of lettuce is not as appealing as working out for the Digicel 5k. When you appear on race day in a pair of Adidas tights … the cute guy to your right will be hoping that he gets to see you after the race.

2.  Healthy Lifestyle (Men)

Women enjoy making love… and you must satisfy her needs. The one-minute thing is not going to cut it. You really think you can eat steamed fish and okra and expect to be a conquistador in bed. No sah… you need to do some cardio to improve your stamina… you need to work towards running a fast time at the 5k.

3.  Make a difference

A few years ago, I was a member of the Calabar Manning Cup coaching staff. There was a visually impaired young man who attended every single home game (past student).  Anyway, after one of the games, I was talking to some people and he said to me “you need to use the wingers more” … I asked him “How you know dat?”… he responded “my classmates helped me to understand football…. and when you understand something… you can appreciate it”

He’s a remarkable young man (30 years old) who has a master’s degree but still can’t find employment because he’s marginalized. Imagine, a blind yute who didn’t have much, rose above the odds to graduate from a prestigious university and he still has to wonder where his next meal is coming from.

There is so much more to be done… we have to change the perception that people with disabilities can’t achieve greatness.

4.  Awareness

Downtown, Kingston is home to over 80,000 people. Some sleep on worn out mattresses in dilapidated buildings, some sleep on the ground, some can’t sleep because it’s difficult to do so on an empty stomach. We need to be aware of their struggle to understand what it will take to make a difference.

To my fellow Jamaicans… we need to take back downtown from the criminals, we need to rebuild the city, we need to show that we care.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are my own. For the record, Digicel did not ask me to write this article. However, as a  board member of the Jamaica Down’s Syndrome Foundation, I am grateful for Digicel’s continued support.