Summer Review- Nightingale Grove Primary School

 Family, we are  pleased to announce  that this years recipient of  school supply donations will be;  
 Nightingale Grove Primary School  in New Market  St.Elizabeth  Jamaica.

 Nightingale Grove Primary  was carefully selected  by the RKMFoundation,Inc. team to receive this years donations through our partnership with Jamaica Impact Inc.  This is a significant step forward  in our continuous effort  to raise awareness and bring  about change  in the lives of children in rural  Jamaica. This has only been  our 2nd year,technically we are  still in the honeymoon phase:-) and it has been such a humbling experience for all of us.

Nightingale Grove Primary is a relatively small school  with 100 children  ages 6-12, grades 1-6. We  are  pleased to share this information with you and excited that we will be able to bring smiles  to the  faces of  numerous children  in Jamaica.

Stay tuned  for updates on this and more exciting ventures from the RKMFoundation,Inc.
 Much Love& Walk Good.

Attached are pictures of New Market, St.Elizabeth, Jamaica W.I.
Enjoy!!!!!









 
 

Summer Review- Happy Dream Day!!!!

Dare to dream, it can  change the course of our/your life,teach your children and all children whose life you may touch to dream, always remind them and encourage them to dream !!!!

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beckoning light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.
One hundred years later the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
One hundred years later the Negro is still languishing in the comers of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land.
We all have come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to change racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice ring out for all of God's children.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted citizenship rights.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
And the marvelous new militarism which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers have evidenced by their presence here today that they have come to realize that their destiny is part of our destiny.
So even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its Governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places plains, and the crooked places will be made straight, and before the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the mount with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the genuine discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, pray together; to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom forever, )mowing that we will be free one day.
And I say to you today my friends, let freedom ring. From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring. From the mighty Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snow capped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only there; let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain in Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill in Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we're free at last!"

Summer Review- School Supply&Toy Drive

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next." Abraham Lincoln

The  RKMFoundation,Inc.  team is nothing  if  not  busy worker bees, even  though we were  soaking in the summer rays,raising families having full-time jobs and taking on life, we are busy doing what we do best,  making  connections to impact the  lives of children in Jamaica.
This year  we have had the pleasure of partnering  with  Jamaica Impact Inc. on their  School Supply and Toy  Drive. We  are  so happy to report that  this was a success. Although  the donations are  not yet in the  hands  of the  little angels  they  will  be  in few  weeks  when  Jamaica Impact Inc. carry out their distribution  efforts in Jamaica. We  will be sure to  fill you in  on these events once they  take  place.

Collection  boxes  where  placed  throughout the  Tri-state area and  family  you  did not  disappoint.I know you guys  may hear  this all the time, but  you are all wonderful!!!!! We  LOVE YOU, WE CANNOT  DO  THIS WITHOUT YOU.  Please  continue  to support us in all our efforts.

We collected a total  of:
 432 pencils
 89 Note Books
 75 Markers
 86 pens
 61 Tennis Balls
59 story books
12 foam  puzzles, erasers, scissors, flash cars, chalk boards, sidewalk chalk, construction paper,lined papers,coloring books,pencil cases,clue sticks, posters crayons stuffed animals, sharpeners, calculators and bag packs.
These numbers  are  only  a sample  of all that was collected  from our  combined  efforts. Children  in urban and rural Jamaica  will  be able to go back to school with school  supplies  because  of your generosity. This will help to ease some the financial strain  that  comes with sending children  back to school  for the new school year.
We  cannot begin to  tell you how excited we  are  about this, how excited we are  that  with  your help  we are a part  of the solution,we are impacting  the lives of children. We  are going to keep working  until  this is no longer and issue  not only  in Jamaica but on a global  level.

We want to send  love to Jamaica Impact Inc. for all that they do and continue to do, for continuing to impact children in Jamaica through early childhood education.To the individuals who donated, to the business, schools, libraries and organizations who  had  the collection boxes in their business places. THANK YOU ALL!!!


Much Love & Walk Good

                                    

Summer Review - Jamaica's Independence

 Independence. Independent.Independence Day.
Independence is defined  as "freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like..."
July 4th is symbolic and patriotic for so many reasons, it is the day that  America celebrates its independence from Britain and all things Red,White and Blue are represented proudly. 237 years  of freedom, the right to stand firm and make their own decisions as a  democracy. The right to vote,freedom of speech, the right to the pursuit of happiness and equal opportunity.  Every independent country  has this  nationalistic pride which burns brightest on the day they celebrate, their independence,their birthday if you will:-) It's usually the day we focus on how much we have accomplished and how proud we are that those before us fought for the independence we now celebrate.

As Jamaican we tend to be a little more enthusiastic even though we are such a small island. August 6th  is our Independence day and  we were ecstatic to be turning 50 last  year. We shouted, celebrated,danced and used every  opportunity to remind every co worker,colleague,class mate,strap hanger,bus driver,pilot,captain, pet and basically anyone who could see or hear  that  we are Jamaican.I couldn't  have been  more  proud  nor have I ever worn so much  black,green and gold clothing:-)

Independence celebration  in Jamaica has always  been  more than just a day. It  has always been a month long celebration which includes; festival songs,festival queens from each parish,flower shows,Denbeigh agricultural show,Devon house,fashion shows,Grand Gala's, Junkanno, authentic Jamaican dishes prepared the traditional way, maypole,folk music,Miss Lou and Ring Ding on JBC and a host of other cultural  festivities.
This year we turned 51 and the festivities continued. Although  we are  far  away, August 6th  always  has a special place in our hearts and in our memories.Their is always a smile on our face or a twinkle in our eye as we reflect on a independence month  memory that  we have held on to and continue to treasure throughout the years and long after we have left home.

So, the next time  you are with  your Jamaican  friend or you see some one dressed in black, green and gold and it's August 6th, take the time to wish them Happy  independence day!!!!   They will thank you  for it, especially  if they are far away  from home.

Much Love &Walk Good!!!

Summer Review- The Jamaica Jerk Festival

Family, we cannot  believe that it is already the end of summer!!!! What happened? Where did the summer go?It is our hope that you enjoyed every nano second of it and that we can spend the next few hours and days savoring the last bits and pieces of summer 2013. 
To ensure  that summer  lives on  for at least a month or two, we here @ the RKMFoundation,Inc. will be playing catch up and bringing you  highlights from our summer in a series of blog posts appropriately titled Summer Review!!!!
 First up, the Jerk Festival which  is sponsored by Grace Kennedy Ltd. The Jerk  festival is a celebration of everything Jamaican.

What  is a Jerk festival? Ok! Ok! lets  get down  to the hard dough bread and bones of the matter:-)
The Caribbean  is known for spicy foods and chief among those spicy mixes is a staple in Jamaican culture. "Jerk" as it is casually known is  Jerk seasoning principally relies upon two items; allspice called "pimento" and  scotch bonnet peppers  which is similar in flavor to the habanero pepper. Other ingredients include cloves, cinnamon, scallions, nutmeg, thyme, garlic, and salt. This wonderfully spicy seasoning  is added to  chicken, fish and pork,shrimp,lobster, they have even concocted Jerk Ice-cream...yes Ice cream!!!

 The Grace Jamaican Jerk Festival has the unique distinction of being “The Biggest Caribbean Food Festival in the USA” with a reputation for delivering an enjoyable experience of the highest quality to patrons as well as a rewarding experience to sponsors. Staged annually in Queens, New York and Sunrise, Florida, the festival appeals to all ethnicities and  demographics, particularly the Caribbean communities

 This year marks the  3rd Annual  Jerk Festival held in New York which attracted over 10,000 patrons  Florida however  is  in their 12th which is expected to attract over 16,000 in November. The day offers a mix of professional chefs, home cooks,eager taste-testers, reggae and soca music lovers,cultural enthusiasts and everyone in between.
 
"The festival has been recognized as Best Jamaican Annual Event 2010 & 2009 (Ft. Lauderdale) by Jamaicans.com, One of the Top 10 Yummy Experiences by Get Lost Magazine 2009 and Best Festival by New Times Magazine 2006".

We  hope that you will be able to take advantage of this wonderful festival  in 2014 if you are  in the Tri-state area or if you  are in Florida  in November, take the opportunity to experience all things Jamaican and all things Caribbean.

Much Love &Walk Good