Staff WriterThe winners of the 2019 COJO Benefit Raffle were announced on Saturday, August 3 at the poolside Summer Soirée hosted by Sheree and Horatio Sparkes at their Long Island residence. The Soirée, one of two annual fundraising events for the New York based Jamaican charity, was an evening of fashion, food and entertainment and also served as the drawing for the annual benefit raffle to benefit underserved children in Jamaica.
An elated Rose Green shows off her winning ticket during the COJO Annual Benefit Raffle draw, held at the Long Island residence of Sheree & Horatio Sparkes. Mr. Sparkes verifies the ticket of the lucky winner Rose Green who won the grand prize of a 6-day/5-night stay for two at any Couples Resort in Jamaica with a pair of roundtrip tickets on JetBlue
JetBlue Airways this year again joined forces with Jamaican hotels Couples, Half Moon, Hilton, Iberostar & Round Hill to assist the New York based non-profit, Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO). Over US$25,000 was raised from the benefit raffle and soiree which will help deserving children who are wards of the state in Jamaica pursue their academic goals.
Winning the first prize was Rose Green, who copped the grand prize of a 6-day/ 5-night stay for two at any Couples Resort in Jamaica, with a pair of round trip tickets on JetBlue. Walton Punter won the second prize of a 5-day/4-night stay for two at Hilton Rose Hall Resort & Spa with two roundtrip tickets on JetBlue, while Michael Clark walked away with the third prize of a 4-day/3-night stay for two at Iberostar Hotels & Resorts plus two roundtrip tickets on JetBlue.
COJO Founder and Chairman Gary M. Williams expressed his gratitude to JetBlue and various hotel partners for their commitment to the organization’s scholarship fundraising efforts over the years. “I am grateful to JetBlue Airways and our hotel partners for making this important investment in our children…our future. JetBlue has been a committed sponsor of COJO and we wish to thank them for providing travel certificates for travel to Jamaica to complement the hotel stays as well as round-trip travel tickets to host the Jamaican media to provide coverage of this year’s event,” noted Williams.
Robert DeSouza, Sr. and Ingrid Dixon served as emcees for the evening’s program which saw guests being treated to a fashion show and live entertainment. Among the featured designers were Brooklyn-based Moshood Creations, Signature Closet Boutique and The Mushroom, Jamaica, which provided men’s swimwear. Entertainment was provided by Tropical Rhythms and DJ Drew of DIMEX. Rounding out the evening was the fine fare of food provided by Jamaica Breeze, Footprints Café and Topaz Restaurant with drinks courtesy of Grace Foods and Iberia Foods.
About Children of Jamaica Outreach
Children of Jamaica Outreach COJO Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in New York and is registered with the New York City Bureau of Charities. The brainchild of Jamaican-born American Gary M. Williams, COJO’s mission is to help improve the health, education and general well-being of less fortunate children.
Since inception in 1994, COJO has dedicated its resources, human and financial, to help make a difference in the lives of underserved children in Jamaica as well as the United States of America. For further information about COJO including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.cojokids.org.
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