Palmyra's Party-filled weekend
Published:Sunday | February 20, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The Palmyra Foundation's Robert Trotta says educating children is not only the responsibility of governments, but also the society.
Trotta has not only invested heavily in the island's tourist industry, but in the lives of the country's most vulnerable - its children - and he was speaking on Saturday, February 12 at The Palmyra Resort and Spa in Montego Bay.
"It is our job as the fortunate citizens of a society to help the children," he said at a weekend filled with two beach parties and a dinner and dance for one cause - purchasing books for over 2,000 basic school children in various schools across the island.
US$50,000 target
The foundation hopes to top the 7,000 books distributed in 2010. Now in its fourth year, the foundation focuses on infant school children who are the most vulnerable. The quality of education they receive during their formative years is of utmost importance to the team.
"Our target is US$50,000 this year," Ragni Trotta, spokesperson for the foundation, told Outlook.
At the dinner and dance's silent auction comprising vacations in Scotland, South Beach Miami, airline tickets, art, memorabilia and more, the foundation raised US$18,000, Trotta confirmed.
It is not clear how much the concert with 'American Idol' winner Ruben Studdard, Jamaica's songbird Myrna Hague and Dwight Richards made, but this event was well supported, particularly by the business community and a large contingent of the Black Young Presidents' Organisation from the United States of America.
The weekend also saw the return of Third World to the Jamaican stage after a long break. This event was like a pre-Valentine's love fest on the beach with Tarrus Riley and Tessanne Chin taking high marks for their incredibly rich performances.
No one describes the foundation's venture better than Montego Bay attorney Gordon Brown, who has said, "I think the most gratifying aspect of the experience of sharing these gifts of learning and opportunity with these delightful, energetic, hopeful children is the knowledge that we were there, with and for them from the very start. It takes a village to raise a child and through The Palmyra Foundation, we are happy to play our part as our children's keepers."
The weekend of activities attracted sponsors such as The Gleaner, JetBlue, Margaritaville Caribbean, First Global, Rainforest Seafoods, Caribbean Producers Jamaica and the Ministry of Agriculture/RADA.