TEAMWORK AN INDELIBLE CELEBRATION OF THE SPIRIT

Toyota Jamaica, Staff, Parents, Friends, Digicel Foundation Friends, etc. gather to spruce us our school.   

Blog written by Leslie Wan

The idea of teams and team work has been rolling around in my brain for a few days. A recent conversation with a friend sparked those thoughts. Jamaican Labor Day became the day that clarified my thoughts about teams and teamwork. I focus in here on Team STEP Centre for the purpose of the blog, even though there are many teams in my life, including team "family". Labor Day our school was FILLED with wonderful folks who spent hours in the hot sun (inside and outside the building)  and hours with disinfectant cleaners, painting equipment, dust rags, yard equipment (clippers, rakes, pitchfork, weed whacker, shovel and on and on).  We had quite the turn out to spruce up our school and with BIG BIG THANKS to Toyota Jamaica. Toyota Jamaica and their amazing staff, supplied us with paint and painters to brighten up our school. They also gave us some much needed metal corner bumpers for our walls. That may seem like an odd need, corner bumpers, but when you consider all the wheelchairs that bump into walls at the school, you will understand how that saves our corners! It wasn't just "things supplied " from Toyota Jamaica, but a really amazing, lively, and hard working group of Toyota volunteers that did  A LOT of hard work, and did it with such energy and spirit. The commonality of that group- young, older, men, women, children and everyone there, was that they wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and improve the lives of our children along the way.  The STEP Centre can never say enough thanks to Toyota Jamaica and our beloved Auntie Rowena Conner (and Tom Conner) for their support and faithful belief in the power of STEP Centre. Sure Toyota  is a corporate sponsor, but Toyota truly BELIEVES in the work we do, and that means so much to us.

However, let me not leave out the rest of the team.The team included our staff, some parents of our students, some long time friends of STEP Centre, an island visitor whom I think is now a dedicated STEP Auntie (Miss Caroline), an American Embassy friend and a few Digicel Foundation volunteers. For sure big up to our staff and parents, who really worked very hard and with such laughs and fun. It warmed my heart to see  our staff doing such a lot of work, and doing it so enthusiastically because they want the school to be its best self and, because they care about the people and the place they work. It was very clear to me that our school staff do work as a TEAM, and they sincerely care about the children that are with us, and the school they come to every day. Here is the thing about teams. Teams are the best versions of themselves when they get wonderful guidance and strong leadership from the leader. Hilary (our principal) certainly as our team "leader" sets the pace and guides us all with her spirit and her commitment to the special needs community and our children with her energy. Sure Hilary is a strong presence in the school as leaders always are, but the team rallies because they care about the cause and they care about what they are doing, and doing for each other.  A team is nothing if they don't pull together and that was never more evident than when one of our staff recently had / has her own major health issue. They raised money to help her, cheered her on, told her to get on with it when she was being abit mellow, and picked up the slack when she was out ill and as she rehabilitates. That is the beauty of a team pulling together for a cause, and for the people in the team. We at STEP became stronger as a team by supporting her and it made us understand our children's issues even more.  

LESLIE'S FINAL THOUGHTS

We all are on many teams in our lives. First you have to recognize who  your teams are, work, family, church, personal passions etc, and why you are on those teams. Sure, we all have to earn a living and hopefully most have a place in a family, but you need to really be there on the team because you CARE! You care about your integrity, and you care about having a part to play. We may not always love what we do, but we certainly need to LOVE HOW WE DO IT! That is the contribution you make to yourself personally, and going forward into your team. Working as a team is far easier than working against a team, and you are enriched by the team if you BELIEVE in it. It is never enough to just show up. It is about showing up because you want the best for yourself and for the community and people who surround you.  

Even nature understands teams! 

We believe.......... Our people in and outside of STEP Centre are our team, and we respect them and are grateful to them. Our children  are taught that gratitude and teamwork matter.