The MIC Blog is also known as Michael’s Veranda, because when Michael was a child he lived with his grandfather, Melbourne, and they would relax on the veranda together.
It was here, outside the concrete house with its tin roof, that Melbourne liked to sit in the evening with a view of the neighboring hills and the other houses dotted here and there on the slopes.
Michael would join him, and they'd spend time chatting; Michael as a young boy learning through talking with his grandfather, and Melbourne as an elder passing on his own wisdom and knowledge.
A bond was created there, a bond that would last and now forms the legacy that is the Melbourne and Michael Folkes Foundation.
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As you become more and more focused on becoming successful at wherever you have chosen to invest your energy, you will likely encounter a disturbing reality.
Not everyone will be cheering you on.
In fact, the more prosperous you become, the more likely you are to encounter naysayers, venom-spreaders and energy vampires. At best they’ll merely…
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Each time that I return to Jamaica, I am captivated once more by the intense, almost erotic beauty of the place––cobalt waters, cloudless skies, lush landscapes. How can anyone fail to be moved by God’s loveliest handiwork and the privilege of having a front-row seat?
Yet few of us in the United States would switch places with those who live there––so much grinding…
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My mental list of projects keeps growing longer––particularly those connected with Jamaica’s Mount Waddy Primary School, where I was once a student. The Melbourne and Michael Folkes Foundation will ultimately put into place a certainty that no child’s basic needs will ever be overlooked.
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At Mount Waddy Primary School, all children dress alike––in crisp, clean blue shirts with charcoal pants or jumpers. No one stands out at first, not until you notice how exceptionally neat and well-groomed everyone looks.
School uniforms serve several important purposes. First, they remove all competition and status regarding who can afford to dress better than his/her…
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So many evenings I sat on my grandfather’s veranda, listening to him talk as he shared his simple, straightforward philosophies: Worship God. Work hard. Act with courtesy and integrity. Be grateful for whatever you already have.
I listened. I learned. But I was a child. I knew nothing about life and how badly it often treated so many fine people––and how character-deficient…
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A heartwarming (and humbling) thing now happens whenever I visit Mount Waddy Primary School. The children want to pat and hug me!
When Alex Haley first published his international best seller, ROOTS, in 1974, he included a chronicle of having visited his ancestor Kunta Kinte's African village of Juffure in 1967, exactly 200 years after his great-great-great-great-grandfather Kunta…
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November 26, 2014, the day before Thanksgiving. We were all filled with excitement and anticipation. My mother, father, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and friends. For the first time in many years we would all sit together for this joyous occasion.
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Some time ago I made the decision to write down my life story ready to share it with others. This was such a big decision for me, because although many suggested that it would be inspiring, I was previously unsure.
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I believe that if you work hard and smart, it yields results. However, I do not believe it would be enough to take me from my childhood of poverty, destitution, abuse and hunger to the relatively comfortable life that I have today.
