The Kashif and Shanghai (K&S) Organization recently paid tribute to a number of career mothers, including naming a long-serving member of its medical team Mother-of-the-Year.
At its annual Mother’s Day Treat, K&S, credited as the leading promoters of football in Guyana, invited 200 specially selected mothers to the event, hosted on the lawns of the residence of Director Aubrey `Shanghai’ Major on Sunday. The mothers were treated to dinner and live entertainment. Organizers took a decision to pay tribute to a number of mothers who have supported the community and the organization over the years.
Laurentia Lynch-Bobb, RN, RM, HRM was given the top honour for her outstanding commitment to the organization and the Region 10 community over 10 years. The other mothers who were recognised for their contribution were Gloria Britton and Miriam Zephyr, in the education field; Valerie Adams-Sharpe, Isha Kadir and Pauline Melville in the social welfare field; Vivian Boyd aka Tiny Duggan and Yvonne Drakes in the entertainment field; Mayfield Trim in the sports field and Lynch-Bobb and Medex Anna Glasgow in the medical field. Octogenarian Enid Ward was also presented with a special prize for being the oldest mother at the event. Each recipient received a plaque and a cellular phone compliments of GTT Cellink. Lynch-Bobb was given additional prizes for being honoured as the Mother-of-the-Year.
Lynch-Bobb, who did not attend the ceremony, told Stabroek News in a subsequent interview that she was moved by the gesture. She also complimented the organisers, saying that it is the respect that they have shown her over the years that has kept her active in the organisation. She recalled that she joined the K&S organisation in 1994, at a time when the organisers sought to raise the level of football tournaments in the country.
A mother of three and grandmother of two, Lynch-Bobb said, “I am overjoyed to know that they valued my commitment to the organization to the extent of naming me Mother-of-the-Year.” She also noted that she joined the organization because of her love for the game. “Since I joined the medical team for that active ten years I knew not what it meant to be at home on Christmas Day, all I knew was a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.”
Lynch-Bobb, who is the current Midwifery tutor at the Charles Rosa School of Nursing, is also an active Regional Councillor attached to the Regional Democratic Council for eight years, a member of the Breast Feeding committee, a member of the Guyana Nurses Council and other related organizations and groupings. She said despite being challenged by a number of health complaints she is committed to her work and continues to record 100% passes by her students.
To persons who are involved or desirous of becoming involved in volunteer work Lynch-Bobb advised, “Do it because you love it, you may never know how and when you will reap the reward.” Although she is unable to be more involved in the K&S organisation she continues to provide moral support and makes it her duty to attend at least the finals of the annual tournament.
