Ten-year-old Jazmine Headley displays two of the books she donated to the May Pen Hospital on Friday.
August 13, 2023
10-year-old donates to May Pen Hospital paediatric ward
MAY PEN, Clarendon – Between school, acting, singing and her work in philanthropy, Jazmine Headley still finds time to be a regular 10-year-old.
She does quite well at managing her time, excelling in schoolwork, playing supporting roles in major films and performing at small events. Friday’s stop at the May Pen Hospital was the latest in her philanthropic efforts.
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She officially opened the Canadian $10,000 Jazmine Corner, stocked with a computer, books and toys. She also provided toiletries and candy to some patients.
Managed by her mother Debbie Headley, the Jazmine Headley Foundation is a charity that provides much-needed support and tangible items such as wheelchairs, clothes and books to children directly or through other entities.
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The Jazmine Corner at the May Pen Hospital.
“We work with the Bounty Foundation sometimes but today we are here giving the kids toys, books, a computer and a chair for their learning centre,” Jazmine said gleefully.
Born in Canada, she said she has decided to give back to Jamaica in any way she can because her mother is Jamaican.
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“I still want to keep donating to Jamaica because each year I receive a lot of gifts for my birthday and some of them I forget about and don’t use after a week or couple of weeks. So instead of taking I decide to give, so for my birthday we decided that we would give some stuff away,” she said.
Jazmine loves Jamaican culture and enjoys plantains, curry and jerk chicken which are must-haves whenever she’s on the island.
Jazmine Headley sharing a moment with acting director of nursing services at May Pen Hospital, Nancy Davis Williams.
Her mother says she keeps her daughter grounded, manages her schedule and ensures she has time for herself.
“Jazzy does her work Monday to Thursday and Friday to Sunday is her time to relax and unwind, spend time with the family and rest. Our family is a well-rounded unit and we have regular discussions and make big decisions together,” she said.
Jazmine has two older siblings.
“She goes to birthday parties, plays video games, does swimming and gymnastics, she does all the things that children her age would love to do,” Headley said.
“We just put everything together and work as a team. I send out the e-mail and letters and Jazzy collects the items and then donates them to children. If there is any charity that requires bulky items, we do fund-raisers and she performs at the events. She is also fluent in sign language and most times she signs the songs she does as she wants everyone to enjoy her music,” Headley told the Jamaica Observer following a modest handing over ceremony which was held on the paediatric ward of the May Pen Hospital on Friday.
Jazmine’s school, St Jude’s Academy, facilitates acting career and philanthropic work so her teachers send her work on the school app and she works with tutors when working on set. Her schedule looks hectic but her mother explained that it all comes naturally.
“Giving is something that we are used to because we practise giving in our home. Since we moved to Canada I’ve always shipped stuff back to Jamaica and she just got absorbed into it. It makes me feel good to see her doing this at her age because our children now are lost and are crying. Sometimes we see them on the news ending up dead; so for her to be pushing in a different direction makes me happy. I’m hoping others will see, admire her and do something similar to what she is doing because there’s so much going on. This is normal and natural for her,” said Headley.
Acting CEO at the May Pen Hospital, Dr Bradley Edwards was thrilled about Friday’s donation.
“This is a good day for us because we have gotten a wonderful contribution from her and this will enhance the space we have for the children here. We are very grateful for it and really appreciate it and the children will appreciate it too. I’m sure this will make a big difference in our lives. This is special because it is a donation to the children’s ward from a child. We have sick children and some social cases and having the ability to learn in the space will give them an opportunity to be better off through reading and development of their cognitive skills while in the hospital,” he said.
“I want to say thanks on behalf of the May Pen hospital. This is really good. We are delighted and really appreciate the gesture. To be 10 years old and not only giving to the hospital but so many other charities is amazing,” he added as he accepted the items.
The plan is for Jazmine to go around the island doing one Jazmine Corner in each public hospital.
