The American Friends of Jamaica, Inc. (AFJ) inaugural South Florida Gala promises to be an evening of black-tie elegance that will bring the AFJ’s highly-touted annual gala dinner, held most recently at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, to South Florida.
On June 25, the AFJ will host its first Florida gala at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. “The purpose,” says retired American Ambassador to Jamaica Glen Holden, the AFJ’s President, “is to add charity dollars to the nearly $11 million we have raised for Jamaican non-profits charities since 1982.”
AFJ galas are known for honoring outstanding individuals and organizations for their support for Jamaica. Honorees on June 25 will be Royal Caribbean Cruises and Monsignor Richard Albert, the American Catholic priest who has become internationally known for his work among Jamaica’s poor. Previous gala Honorees include Ralph and Ricky Lauren, Jamaican-born billionaire and philanthropist Michael Lee-Chin, and other notables.
Colin Channer, prize-winning author and founder of the Calabash Literary Festival will host the event. Guests will mingle with Jamaican and American officials, top businesspeople, and figures from the worlds of finance, tourism and the arts. A substantial contingent of prominent Jamaicans is expected to attend.
The evening’s activities will include a pre-reception, a silent auction featuring items ranging from art-work by Romero Britto to exotic Jamaican getaways. Guest will enjoy the world-class cuisine of the Biltmore and cap the evening with music by world renowned and celebrated band, The Mighty Vikings.
Actively involved in the effort, Kimare Dyer of DelancyHill, P.A. explains “With strong support, we have changed the landscape of philanthropy for South Florida. The gala will be a premier society event benefiting Jamaican charities while catering to refined tastes”. The event has received stellar corporate support from companies like Platinum sponsors South Miami Hospital and Deutsche Bank Alex Brown’s Caribbean Group. Wayne Brackin, South Miami’s CEO, states, “The AFJ supports the health sector in Jamaica as well as education, community development, disaster relief and the environment. We are delighted to assist as the organization makes its South Florida debut.”
In its most recent distribution of grants at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Kingston on April 22, the AFJ made cash awards to such institutions as the Jamaica Society for the Blind, the MoBay Hope Medical Center and the University of the West Indies as well as Mustard Seed Communities, which is building a home for AIDS-affected children near Montego Bay. This year the organization expects to donate over $800,000 to Jamaican charities.
Each year the AFJ raises funds in the United States and distributes them to Jamaican institutions. Its Board of Directors includes James A. Cada, a Lincoln, Nebraska, attorney and hotel owner in Negril; Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Engel, founders of the MoBay Hope Medical Centre in Montego Bay; Dr. Wilfred Gooden, a Jamaican-born businessman in New York; Mrs. Manuela Cerri Goren, New York radio journalist; Monica Ladd, partner in the Kingston-based Myers, Fletcher and Gordon law firm; Mrs. Lorraine Lorenc, executive director of Z. Paul Lorenc MD FACS Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in New York; Mrs. Guy T. Steuart II of Washington and Half Moon; and Mrs. Becky Stockhausen, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jamaica, as well as Ambassador Holden and AFJ Executive Director Lacy Wright. For gala details, call 800-901-9770 or visit www.theAFJ.org/gala2005.htm.
