Rosehall, St James

The Palmyra Foundation is going for one million. Schoolbooks to give away, that is.

And according to Kathi Constanzo, chair of the newly founded organisation, which is supported by the Palmyra Resort and Spa in Rosehall, the ambitious goal will be realised by 2012. In the meantime, the foundation is pulling out all the stops to cement its place on the Jamaican landscape as one of the main vehicles through which the children of St James and indeed the rest of the island can receive help with their education.

Consequently, come Saturday, the Shoppes at Rose Hall will be transformed to host the organisation’s first annual fund-raiser, which will also serve as a coming-out party for a new Smirnoff beverage.

Dubbed “Celebrating the children of Jamaica” the $10,000-a-ticket evening, which will see the talent of Bajan saxaphonist, Arturo Tappin, toasting the occasion, will also feature a silent and live auction and a keynote address by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

“We take our social responsibility very seriously… every dollar that is donated will go directly to the benefit of the children,” Constanzo told the Observer West.

Pointing to the self-imposed external audit of the foundation by Deloitte and Touche as evidence of the organisation’s commitment, Constanzo explained that Saturday’s event would feature pictorial and anecdotal evidence of the books that have already been given away.

It’s a fascinating story -Constanzo oversees an administrative process which sees the organisation obtaining the student and book lists from each school; sourcing the required books through a local bookstore and then distributing the books in bags bearing the name of each child. The response, Constanzo says, is indescribable.

The organisation’s original mandate was to provide the children of St James with the textbooks necessary to attain a proper education. However, the organisation quickly outgrew this mandate as Constanzo realised how much more could be done. Over $4 million have been raised and 11 public infant schools benefited since the launch of the foundation earlier this year in June.

Ultimately, the foundation hopes to spread its influence to cover uniforms, school lunches and more.