GoodHeart | Hands for Hope Charity Auction to support scholarship recipients
Published:Saturday | July 20, 2024 | 12:06 AMKeisha Hill/Senior Gleaner Writer
To raise $1 million for this year’s scholarship recipients, the Valda Hope Foundation (VHF) hosted the fourth annual Hands for Hope Charity Auction on July 6 at the S Hotel Kingston. Over 150 attendees enjoyed an evening of giveaways, auction items from sponsors, delicious food, and live entertainment, with host Talia Soares Brown keeping the event going. As a result, 10 students from across the island will receive scholarships.
Launched in July 2017, the Valda Hope Foundation Limited supports academically competent Jamaican children who are community-involved and resilient despite challenges. The foundation has donated over $2.3 million over the past seven years. Dr Kimberly Salmon, director, noted the foundation was inspired by Valda Hope Salmon’s humble beginnings and selfless service.
“With God at the forefront of decision-making, understanding her passion for children and education, and after a small tug-of-war over the use of her name: the Valda Hope Foundation was birthed,” Salmon told GoodHeart.
Currently, the foundation offers $100,000 to each student, which includes a $30,000 book grant, $30,000 for uniform allowance, $20,000 for shoes, and $20,000 for lunch.
“Outside of our financial support, since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also given food baskets – one courtesy of our sponsors and one courtesy of the VHF team, [along with] sanitation kits equipped with hygiene products necessary for school. And, last year, each recipient also received an electronic tablet,” Salmon said.
Applicants must be Primary Exit Profile (PEP) graduates with a minimum average of 65 per cent and participate in at least one extra-curricular activity. According to Salmon, with support from initial donors, the foundation awarded just over $85,000 to their first cohort of scholarship winners in 2017.
INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS
She noted that the VHF team quickly realised fundraising would advance their mission beyond individual donations, leading to the creation of the Hands for Hope Charity Auction.
“We were committed to offering a distinctive event, looking beyond the typical food-based fundraisers, with the aim of providing a night of quality entertainment, giveaways, and items available for purchase at a much-reduced value across categories such as leisure, technology, health and wellness, and home decor. This year’s staging was our fourth, with 2018 being our inaugural event, followed by 2019. A three-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic then led to the return of the event in 2023.”
Some of the major sponsors for this staging included Yummy Bakery Jamaica, Bug Off Jamaica, Chad Auto Sales and Storage, Dunrobin Medical and Wellness, Elevated Environments, Elite Imaging Lab and Portrait Studio, Face Marketing, Wintraders Ltd, ATL Automotive Group, B&D Trawling Limited and Sittol Architects.
According to Natasha Barclay, mother of 2022 scholarship winner Neriah-Anastasia Watson, the Valda Hope Foundation seeks to help families who are in need financially.
“They foster hope and assurance to children and motivate them to become the best they can be. They are more than just supporters, they are family, so welcoming and loving. My daughter and I have been blessed by the foundation and I pray that they continue to be a blessing to families across Jamaica,” Barclay shared.
Salmon noted that the foundation’s impact has grown beyond initial expectations, and they remain dedicated to honouring Valda Hope Salmon’s legacy and mission.
“In the next five years, we aim to help more students yearly from across the island, participate in school infrastructure development, increase our foundation’s visibility, encourage more personal and corporate partnerships, as well as create other unique fundraising events.”
For more information on the Valda Hope Foundation, visit: www.valdahopefoundation.org