Activity centre reaches out to people with disabilities

TOBAGO BUREAU

STUDENTS at the Technical Vocational Centre for persons with Disabilities in Bon Accord were treated to a time of fun, singing, music, prayers and a meal last Tuesday as the Canaan/Bon Accord Senior Citizen Activity Centre carried out one of its charitable acts of caring and sharing. The students also got the opportunity to display their talents through songs and playing of the drums. Some of them were given tokens based on their performances after which they all shared in a sumptuous meal. The students also shared some of the activities which they do at the school such as the cultivating of some short crops – lettuce and kale – and some art and craft.

The Activity Centre formally known as “The Ambassadors” was founded in 2008 by Shirley Woods, a returning Tobago resident who lived in Canada, and whose intention was to teach seniors to play the pan.

By the next year, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), finding the concept a good one, adopted the centre, changed its name to the Canaan/Bon Accord Senior Citizen Activity Centre and relaunched it in 2009, broadening its scope of activities to include cookery, art and craft and sewing.

Members also participate in physical exercises and long-distance walking. They also go on fieldtrips and outings and engage in acts of charity. The centre yesterday brought together senior citizens – 60 years and over – from all walks of life throughout Tobago, those who have retired from their jobs or those seeking a place to socialise with their peers.