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Goldcrest Family Centre (GCFC) recently took a big step in its efforts to put smiles on the faces of more than 2,000 primary and secondary school pupils in Lagos.
This time, the Ketu, Lagos-based non-governmental organisation, known for its widows’ empowerment programmes, free health care services for old and young, students’ educational development and religious events, went beyond its normal practice to organise the maiden edition of the Gold Crest Family Centre annual sports development programme.
The event, which held at the indoor hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, had in attendance many dignitaries, including the executive chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission Mr. Sola Aiyepeku, and other members of the Lagos State Sports Council (LSSC).
The NGO organised the maiden edition of the children’s sports programme in partnership with the LSSC to celebrate the 2022 edition of Children’s Day and also explore the potential of the students.
In her remarks, president of GCFC, Rev. Agatha Chukwura, said the programme was organised to build a future for the children, saying the theme of this year’s event is, “Godly intervention for the new generation,” with the topic “Children of strength and courage”
Chukwura added that the event was a major assignment of the organisation, stressing that it is also meant to instill in the pupils the basic values that are inherent in good education.
The GCFC boss added also that the organisation is using the sports development programme to enhance talents and also showcase the talents of the students.
She stated further that the role of sports in building the future of the pupils cannot be over-emphasized.
“Our purpose is to educate various groups of vulnerable people, specifically the children on how to add value to their lives and make them self- reliant so that they can be able to sustain themselves and succeed in life.
“We want to engage their minds.We want to reshape their thoughts about the beauty in sports.We want to improve their mental alertness and give them positive value for their lives,” she said.
Chukwura said at least 20 primary and secondary schools in Surulere LGA participated in the sporting event, which included taekwando and table tennis.
The schools were Gbaja Primary and Junior Secondary School, New Era Grammar School, Akiitan Grammar School and Surulere Primary School, among others.
She maintained also that the sports programme would help in instilling courage, self discipline and commitment in the students, stressing that sports like taekwando will help in building the students in all areas of their lives as well as in their educational career.
She added: “We intend to build a sustainable foundation for the students’ career.
We decided to strengthen the sports development programme in order to build the minds of the students. Many of them are gifted in some areas and the best way to identify these talents is to create an environment where such talents would be used. So, on this special day, which happened to be the children’s day, we want to make them happy by giving them the best opportunity to do something worth while.
“Today, we made some discoveries, we are able to discover hidden talents in table tennis and taekwondo. We were able to match their intellectual ability with their natural talents and that goes a long way in making the students complete products of our society.”
Aiyepeku, while applauding the efforts of GCFC, stated that Lagos State government is poised to use sports as tools to build a good career for the students in the state. He said the state government is setting a global standard in sports administration and development.
He said: “Our goal is to build a sustainable foundation for a vibrant sports industry and culture to make Lagos State the leading sports destination in Africa.”
Mrs.Oluwasanmi Olaide, in her remarks, applauded the courage of the management of GCFC, saying the NGO has done wonderfully well with the sporting programme.
She urged the leadership of GCFC to continue with the programme, bearing in mind that whatever little they sowed in the lives of the children will grow in multitudes in the future.
“I want to commend the president of Goldcrest Family Centre, for this wonderful initiative.We know how important this programme is to the lives of the students and you can see the excitement and the joy on their faces.This initiative will help in bringing out the best in the students,” Olaide said.
