Jah Jerry Foundation awards scholarships to Edna Manley students

United States-based non-profit Jah Jerry Foundation has awarded scholarships to three students at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

The scholarships were presented recently by the foundation’s founder and president, James Haynes, during a visit to Jamaica.

Since 2013, the foundation has awarded scholarships to 33 students at the college. Each scholarship is valued at US$1,000 (approximately $158,700).

This year, the foundation also donated six advanced desktop computers to Roger Clarke High School, which was impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

“Our aim is to bridge the digital divide to ensure that no child is left behind in today’s digital age,” said Haynes.

He noted that the foundation has so far donated 50 desktop computers and 75 tablets to schools across Jamaica, including Alpha Institute (formerly Alpha Boys School), Jones Town Primary School, Trench Town Comprehensive High School, Iris Gelly Elementary School, Boys’ Town All-Age School, Middlesex Primary School in Hanover and Charlie Smith High School.

Total spending on scholarships and computer donations has reached approximately US$100,000.

Haynes said he hopes the donations will make a meaningful difference in the lives of the students who receive them.

Jah Jerry Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organisation established in memory of Jerome Haynes, affectionately known as Jah Jerry, a pioneering musician and founding member of the legendary Skatalites.

His musical career spanned more than 60 years, from 1949 to 2007. He helped create Jamaica’s first indigenous music form, ska, which later evolved into rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. He recorded hundreds of songs and participated in the first recording session by Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1962.

The organisation was founded by James Haynes, Jah Jerry’s eldest son, and launched in 2012 to continue his father’s legacy through education and youth development. Jah Jerry devoted part of his life to teaching aspiring young musicians the fundamentals of guitar, music reading and music writing.

The organisation’s mission is to promote education locally and internationally by providing financial assistance to college students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in music. It also supports Jamaican schools through donations of new computers and tablets. Education and youth development, the foundation says, were causes Jah Jerry strongly embraced throughout his life.

editorial@gleanerjm.com