The Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland, Inc. (JAMCCAR) will celebrate its 28th anniversary and commemorate Jamaica’s 56th year of independence on Saturday, August 4, 2018, 8:00 p.m. at The Sheraton Mahwah hotel, 1 International Boulevard, Mahwah, New Jersey. Highlights of the elegant black tie gala include: a grand cocktail reception with display and sale of Jamaican art by artists Paul Blackwood and Courtney Morgan; cultural entertainment by the Braata Folk Singers; dancing to Soul Tone Music by DJ Prentice & the Crew; a sumptuous plated dinner of duet entrees; the highly anticipated annual scholarship awards and tribute to honorees. The event will be held under the Distinguished Patronage of the Honorable Trudy Deans, Jamaica’s Consul General to New York and with Signature Sponsorship by Caribbean Food Delights. Features of the fete include remarks by Mr. Douglas Lindo, Lecturer at the Mona School of Business & Management at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica, along with the independence greetings by a preeminent representative of Jamaica.
The public is invited to purchase gala tickets online at JAMCCAR.Brownpapertickets.com, or telephone (845) 222-5973, (917) 562-6771, (845) 729-9416, (973) 669-3773 or email [email protected] for tickets and information. Tickets are: $155.00 for JAMCCAR members whose dues are paid in full prior to July 15, 2018; guest tickets are $165.00 per person and $1,550.00 for a full table of 10 guests. All tickets must be purchased before August 4th.
Education, academic excellence, youth empowerment and community service are hallmarks throughout JAMCCAR’s twenty-eight year history. JAMCCAR’s annual independence gala is the main fundraiser for the organization’s scholarship awards fund. Over one hundred and thirty (130) scholarships have been awarded since the program started in 1992. This year, scholarships will be awarded during the gala to six (6) deserving high school graduates to further their education. The 2018 recipients are: Charlesworth McBean; Jodianne Nelson; Akena Roy T. Okello; Nia Spann; Esther Thorne and Joel White.
JAMCCAR’s President Millicent Johnson-James said, “We hope members of the community will join us on August 4th as we celebrate! One of our main objectives is uplifting our youth and we take great delight in congratulating and honoring these six (6) young adults who have shown such academic excellence and positive commitment to the community.”
Celebrating Those Who Serve will be a significant part of JAMCCAR’s 2018 independence gala. Six (6) individuals will be honored under this theme: The Honorable Ellen C. Jaffee, New York State Assemblymember-97Th District; The Honorable Ed Day, Rockland County Executive; The Honorable Toney L. Earl, Chairman of the Rockland County Legislature; The Honorable Allan Thompson, Former Mayor Village of Spring Valley; Mr. Christian G. Sampson, Town Clerk – Town of Ramapo and Andrea Osborne, Esquire. Reflecting on JAMCCAR’s twenty-eight years of service to the community, and the 2018 theme of “Out of Many, One”, Sonia Tracey-McCallum, Chairperson of the gala, a Founding Member and Past President of JAMCCAR said, “As we celebrate this special occasion, let us note that it is not just our rich culture that defines us, but also the great collective and collaborative contributions of Jamaicans and friends working together.”
Guests attending JAMCCAR’s celebration on August 4th, 2018 can enjoy special overnight rates at The Sheraton Mahwah (Standard Rooms: Single [$119-room only, $149.00-room & breakfast]; Double Occupancy [$129.00-room only, $149.00-room & breakfast for 2]; Deluxe rooms: Single and double occupancy [$149.00-room only, $179.00-room & breakfast for 2]; these rates are available for a limited time only. For reservations at these special rates, please call (201) 529-1660.
As JAMCCAR celebrates its 28th anniversary and Jamaica’s fifty-six years of existence as an independent nation, the organization acknowledges and thanks the broad-based supportive network of Jamaicans, Jamericans, friends, collaborative and/or cooperative relations with associates in the African Diaspora, arts, business, culture, education, faith, government, and media sectors of the community.
JAMCCAR, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit community organization whose primary objectives are to foster good relations through closer association with Jamaicans and friends in Rockland County and its environs; and to develop and promote throughout the community at large, the civic, cultural, economic and social aspects of the Jamaican, Caribbean and Pan-African cultures.
