Golden Krust Radiothon Raises $10,000 For Hurricane Dean Relief

NEW YORK (JIS) Monday, September 17, 2007 – President/CEO of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, Lowell Hawthorne last Friday presented Consul General Dr. Basil K. Bryan with a check for $10,000 to help in the recovery and relief effort from Hurricane Dean which damaged sections of the island on August 19, this year.

The donation represents proceeds from a radiothon organized by Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery in conjunction with the Jamaican Consulate General and the two major Caribbean radio programmes on Saturday, September 8. The 12-hour event was supported by Irie Jam Radio and LinkUp Media, two of the Tri-State area’s most listened to Caribbean programmes, heard on station WVIP, 93.5 FM.

The radiothon which raised $5,000 highlighted the 17th Anniversary celebrations and Customer Appreciation Day for the GK Bakery’s flagship store at 1381 E. Gun Hill Road in the Bronx, NY. And in keeping with an earlier promise, Mr. Hawthorne matched the full amount, bringing the total to $10,000.

In handing over the check to Dr. Basil K. Bryan at the offices of the Jamaican Consulate, Manhattan, Mr. Hawthorne thanked the many Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica who gave generously to the cause, noting that, “as Jamaicans we can do great things when we come together”. He said that his company was always ready to help in such situations.

In accepting the check, Dr. Bryan said that the effort shows that we have a community that cares. He praised Golden Krust for initiating the project as well as bringing together the two big players in the radio business and said that the effort should not be underestimated.

Dr. Bryan said that the funds will be sent immediately to the Office of Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management (ODPEM) to be used in the relief effort.

Both program managers, Robert ‘Bobby’ Clarke of Irie Jam Radio and David ‘Squeeze’ Annakie of Link Up Media who were on hand for the presentation, concurred that donating the air time for the radiothon, was their way of supporting the cause and the larger community.

Highlight of the radiothon was the special appearance of the Jamaica Military Band.