St James town hall salutes five Salt Spring residents as Project STAR community champions

ST JAMES, Jamaica — Project STAR has handed its Community Champion awards to five people from Salt Spring, citing steady unpaid work, strong leadership and a clear drive to lift the area.

The organisation staged a town hall at Salt Spring New Testament Church and used the gathering to present the honours, a Project STAR release said. The five named are Travis Cooke, Oraine Lawson, Barbara Beadle, Ann Marie Douglas and Sherri-Kay Morris, singled out for work spanning youth guidance, on-the-ground organising, public information and small-enterprise growth.

Beadle, who has given time to the area for years and serves as assistant public relations officer on the Salt Spring Community Development Commission (CDC), drew praise for how firmly she backs the Project STAR effort. The group said she shows up with spirit and a word of support whenever the work calls for it.

Speaking after she received the award, Beadle said the nod caught her off guard but left her thankful. “I am well elated. I appreciate it. I wasn’t looking for it,” she said, adding that she has backed several local bodies over time and has walked with Project STAR since it began operating in the community in 2024. She said she often helps the team reach people from school-age youngsters straight through to older residents, and voiced a wish that the good begun under the programme will outlast the scheme itself. “What we’ll do, we’ll try and see if we can continue and keep doing what they left with us,” she said.

Douglas, widely called “Ms Chin”, was credited with street-level organising that nudges neighbours to join activities built around firmer households and wider job chances. “Well, I feel good,” she said when asked how the award sat with her.

Morris, the CDC’s lead public relations officer, was recognised for helping people stay in the loop and stay involved so messages move clearly through the district. She said she felt “elated and excited”, and remarked that work done for the community often passes without notice. “They came in, they promised, they delivered, and they even added topping to the cake,” she said, pointing to how promptly and fully Project STAR followed through. She also said the effort earned trust because it consulted residents from early on and then shaped offerings for seniors, children and young people around what people in the area said they needed.

Cooke’s award reflected his push for young people through the Kicking Forward Football Programme, where he uses the game to steer and mentor adolescents. Project STAR also underlined his help on a recent community tournament run to May Pen, when he provided rides for players free of charge and paid tolls so the programme’s line “Everybody Fahwud” could hold true in practice.

Lawson was identified as an important local contact in the Melbourne section of Salt Spring. Having gained from the programme’s nano-grants, he has grown his own enterprise and now urges neighbours, especially those running small ventures, to tap what Project STAR offers.

Saffrey Brown, who directs Project STAR, spoke warmly of what the winners mean for the district. “I commend each of this year’s Community Champion awardees for the consistent service, leadership and care you demonstrate every day. Your example strengthens Salt Spring and inspires others to step forward. Thank you for helping to ensure that everybody fahwud,” she said.