JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation has awarded a $40,000 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) prize to University of the West Indies Venture Competition (UWIVC) finalist, Mother Teresa Driving Academy. Leneka Rhoden, CEO of the Driving Academy, was a participant in the 2020 staging of the UWIVC held at the Mona School of Business and Management. The Mother Teresa Driving Academy received this award because it demonstrated the company’s profit model was aligned with ethical social and economic development as well as addressed the total development of employees/team members.
The UWI Venture Competition was established in 2002 as a collaboration between the Mona School of Business and Management and the Vincent HoSang Family Foundation with the objective of assisting budding tertiary level student entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life. The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation has also proven to be an essential partner in contributing to the programme’s success. According to the Foundation’s CEO Kim Mair, “the Joan Duncan Foundation continues to support the objective of harnessing the talents and skills of students within the UWI community and facilitate the development of their ideas into fully-fledged businesses.”
Positioned as affordable and cost-competitive, the Mother Teresa Driving Academy was created out of what CEO Leneka Rhoden saw as a need for students to learn more about the rudiments of driving. Mother Teresa Driving Academy realized the need for more substantive support that was not being offered by existing players in the industry and sought to add value in the field by offering more to clients. According to Leneka, “The goal of the company is to be a one-stop facility for all driver education needs, including applying for learners permits, acquiring educational materials, driving test preparation and refresher courses as well as offering other discounted vehicle services to busy business persons who don’t have the time to go to the tax office.” Mother Teresa Driving Academy has revolutionized the way driving schools support students by providing online consultation and road code classes in preparation for their written test.
Continuing her drive as a serial entrepreneur, Leneka is actively in the process of launching a children’s driving book where they will learn about the importance of observing the road code and identifying parts of the car as an early introduction to driving. Leneka also describes herself as philanthropic, so she has been hosting a bi-weekly scholarship session partnering with different youth clubs where she gets to promote her services to the students while educating them about the various opportunities open to them. Leneka sees this as a critical strategic move as according to her, “young people especially now in the time of Covid are eager to get out and start learning to drive as soon as they can.”
With all her entrepreneurial pursuits, Leneka is also currently a student in the Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology at UWI, Mona, pursuing a Master of Philosophy in Environmental Biology. She has a deep passion for climate change and protecting the environment and is playing her part in being a part of the change she would like to see. She does this through her previously established company E- Biome, a scientific research and development consultancy which employs innovative and creative strategies to find science and technology driven solutions for its clients. For example, E-Biome is investigating ways to use seaweed as a form of renewable energy. As part of her efforts to positively impact the environment, Leneka has also created a virtual Summer of STEM camp which is in its second staging. The camp which has the endorsement of the Faculty of Science and Technology has been able to attract international attention and currently has 30 students registered. During the virtual sessions the students conduct and observe engaging STEM experiments and activities..
In keeping with her philanthropic spirit, Leneka has decided to donate her entire CSR prize to the Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology at UWI to purchase lab equipment so other students can continue to benefit.
Photo: Kim Mair, CEO, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation practices social distancing as she hands over a cheque to UWI Venture Competition Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) prize winner Leneka Rhoden, CEO of the Mother Teresa Driving School.