Michael Bolton ‘can’t wait’ to perform in Ja
US$400,000 goal set for For the Children Charity Concert
Published:Wednesday | May 3, 2023 | 12:41 AM
While patrons are expected to focus on the high quality entertainment, the organisers of the Issa Trust Foundation’s An Evening With Michael Bolton: For the Children Charity Concert will have their eyes set on raising US$400,000 to begin construction of the Mary Issa Health Centre, a paediatric and adolescent care facility.
During the official launch held at Couples San Souci in Ocho Rios on Tuesday, president and CEO ISSA Trust Foundation, Diane Pollard, was emotional as she spoke about the importance of the initiative and how hard it was to see children suffer.
“It’s tough and what we do is very important. I helped found the foundation so it’s like a baby to me,” Pollard said.
The health centre, which will built near Richmond in St Ann, plans on operating speciality clinics. The first of its kind, it will offer cardiology, oncology, mental health support and free vision screening along with glasses, if needed, and hearing tests.
“It will also serve children [and] adolescents from other areas and parishes on the island and offer rotation programmes for US doctors to help Jamaican doctors,” Pollard told The Gleaner.
Just under 9,000 square feet, the Mary Issa Health Centre will cost approximately US$1.2 million to construct. Ground is expected to be broken for the facility late summer 2023, with planned completion in 2024.
According to Pollard, Jamaica has one of the highest rates of adolescent pregnancies in the English-speaking Caribbean.
Seventy of out 1,000 births are to adolescent girls, and adolescent pregnancies are 12 times more likely among girls of the poorest households, she explained.
Two-time Grammy Award winner Michael Bolton, the American singer and songwriter, is set perform at Couples Sans Souci in Ocho Rios on Saturday, May 27.
In a video message, Bolton said, “I am so thrilled to be performing for you in Jamaica. It is going to be a wonderful evening singing my songs for you, live under stars. I can’t wait”.
Other acts on the show are Tarrus Riley and Ky-Mani Marley.
Gates for the concert are expected to open at 5:45 p.m. and showtime is 8 p.m.