Summer fun at COJO Pool Soirée

WESTERN BUREAU:

Members of the Jamaican diaspora flocked Horatio and Sheree Sparkes’ Long Island mansion in New York last Saturday in support of education for some of Jamaica’s most vulnerable children.

Excited to make their contribution to the lives of Jamaican children living in state homes, over 200 patrons invaded the suburban-style property for the seventh anniversary Summer Soirée, staged by Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO), to raise funds to be awarded as scholarships to wards of the state.

The brainchild of Gary Williams, a Jamaican who flies the country’s flag high internationally, COJO has been supporting the academic development of the island’s youths for 25 years.

Each year, the summer soirée and the accompanying gala in December are the main fundraisers transforming the lives of hundreds of students on the island.

With the generous contribution of longstanding partner Jetblue Airways, COJO combined travel certificates with vacation stays of up to six days and five nights stays at a number of Jamaican resorts, including Couples, Iberostar, Hilton Rose Hall, and Sandals, making this year’s raffle prizes some of the most attractive.

Lauding the contribution of JetBlue Airways, COJO’s chairman, Williams, said that their generosity has been critical to the work being done in Jamaica.

“We welcome their unwavering support of our efforts. We owe a debt of gratitude to JetBlue and our many hotel partners who go above and beyond to assist us with making this worthwhile investment in our children, who are the future.”

COJO works in sync with the Child Protection and Family Service Agency (formerly the Child Development Agency).

janet.silvera@gleanerjm