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Clifton Boys’ Home benefits from charity event

Published:Friday | December 13, 2019 | 12:23 AMVanessa James/Gleaner Writer
Nastasia Ellis (left) and Najali Ellis with their father, Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis, during a charity event, held at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on December 6.
Nastasia Ellis (left) and Najali Ellis with their father, Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis, during a charity event, held at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on December 6.

Comedian and motivational speaker Ian ‘Ity’ Ellis hosted a charity event in aid of Clifton Boys’ Home in Darliston, Westmoreland.

The boys’ home was destroyed by fire in 2017 and has yet to be fully restored. Chairman of the Clifton Boy’s Home, Colin Hitchman, told The Gleaner that the rebuilding process has slowed down since it started six months ago.

“We are building now. We started about June of this year and the building has been going at a pace, but, you know, once we have exhausted our funds, things start to get slow because we are depending on inflows from people making contributions to the cause,” Hitchman said.

He explained that the hope was to have the 28 boys back home by the end of 2019, but that wish has been dashed. However, with the intervention of Ellis, the hope has been reignited.

“We wanted to finish by the end of this year, so we are happy for this intervention from Ity and his organisation for putting on this function to assist us, and also for raising awareness of this need that is out there. We have built the structure; we have all the walls up, so now the walls need to be rendered, and the roof to be put on, and then the tiling and so on,” Hitchman noted.

The event, which was held on December 6 at The Knutsford Court Hotel, doubled as Ellis’ 50th birthday celebration, where his colleagues and well-wishers toasted him for his work and impact in their lives over the years.

As part of his push to uplift young men, Ellis has made a vow to not only continue this initiative, but to also start another venture come June 2020.

“A friend of mine said, ‘Ity, you know what you have started, so you should continue it’, and I am committed to this. This is something in my bosom. I don’t know whose initiative, but it is something that I am going to really continue,” Ellis said. “I already have something planned for Father’s Day next year, because I am going to launch the Ghetto Misfits Foundation, and I am really going to champion all of my charitable contributions, efforts and initiatives.”

vanessa.james@gleanerjm.com