Jamccar Set To Celebrate Its 23rd Anniversary And Jamaica’s 51st Year Of Independence, August 3rd, 2013, New Jersey

The Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland, Inc. (JAMCCAR) will celebrate its 23rd anniversary and commemorate Jamaica’s 51st year of independence on Saturday, August 3, 2013, 8:00 p.m. at The Sheraton Mahwah, 1 International Boulevard, Mahwah, New Jersey. The elegant black tie gala, featuring a grand cocktail reception (with island vibes, display and sale of Jamaican art by Artists Paul Blackwood and Courtney Morgan), a sumptuous plated dinner of duet entrees, the highly anticipated annual scholarship awards, mesmerizing entertainment by the renowned JAMCCAR Ekklipse Steel Band, and dancing to music by Soul Tone Disco With DJ Prentice, will be held under the Distinguished Patronage of the Honorable Herman LaMont, Consul General of Jamaica To New York.  Mr. Irwin G. Clare, Sr. and Ms. Jamila Hall McKnight will preside as the Master and Mistress of Ceremony for the gala.  

Mr. Clare is co-founder and managing director of the New York-based Caribbean Immigrant Services, Inc., and is renowned in the Jamaican Diaspora for his work in advocacy, policymaking, public service, and television.  Ms. Jamila Hall McKnight is a former Assistant United States Attorney and is currently an Associate at Jones Day. She is also a member of JAMCCAR’s Advisory Board, who is actively engaged in community service and several other philanthropic initiatives in the legal community.  Ms. Hall McKnight is a former active member of JAMKids (JAMCCAR’s young adults group), and is a past recipient of the JAMCCAR Scholarship Award.

JAMCCAR’s annual independence gala is the main fundraiser for the organization’s scholarship fund. This year, scholarships will be awarded during the gala to four (4) deserving high school graduates to further their education. The 2013 scholarship recipients are: Alexandria Andrean; Joannamour Auguste; Zulecka Thompson; and Nicholas Youngblood (a JAMCCAR’s Ekklipse Steel Band member for many years).  The public is invited to call (845) 222-5973, (917) 806-9375, or (917) 562-6771 for tickets and information. Tickets are $135.00 for JAMCCAR members whose dues are paid in full prior to July 15th, 2013; guest tickets are $140.00 per person and $1,300.00 for a full table of 10 guests. All tickets must be purchased before August 3rd. A raffle drawing, featuring many substantial prizes, including a donated grand prize of a 7 days-8 nights stay at Holiday Inn Club Vacation at Orange Lake, Kissimmee, Florida will be held as part of JAMCCAR’s scholarship fundraising activities during the gala.

Dr. Clover Hall, Gala Co-Chair, Past President and current JAMCCAR Board Member at Large, stated, “It’s very heartwarming to realize that we have presented scholarship awards to more than 110 deserving college-bound students, since the inception of this annual Gala. We thank all our JAMCCAR members and friends who year after year come out and have a great time, while also helping to support our deserving young people. We know this year will be no exception.”  

Reflecting on JAMCCAR’s 23 years of service to the community and the 2013 theme of Jamaica We Love, Sonia Tracey-McCallum, Gala Co-Chair, and a Founding Member and Past President of JAMCCAR said, “We proudly celebrate the renewal and continuity of our noble heritage and the vast achievements as a nation here at home and abroad. Join us in an evening of dramatic elegance, and cultural rhythms; an event not to be missed.”  Guests attending JAMCCAR’s celebration on August 3rd, 2013 can enjoy special overnight rates at The Sheraton Mahwah (Standard Rooms: Single [$119.00-room only, $149.00-room & breakfast]; Double Occupancy [$129.00-room only, $159.00-room & breakfast for 2]; Deluxe rooms: Single and double occupancy [$149.00-room only, $179.00-room & breakfast for 2]; call 201-529-1660 for reservations before July 15, 2013).

JAMCCAR also invites everyone to join in the other free celebration activities, beginning on Friday, July 12, 2013. These include :  Showcasing and Recognition of JAMCCAR’s 2013 Scholarship Recipients on Friday July 12, 2013, 7:30 p.m. at Spring Valley Youth Bureau – The Louis Kurtz Civic Center, 9 North Main Street, Spring Valley, New York.  Free; The Annual Kay Baxter Memorial Cricket Match at Memorial Park, off Route 45 in Spring Valley, New York on Saturday, July 27th at 6:00 p.m. Free; Thanksgiving Service, followed by a free community reception with tasting of Jamaican food on Sunday, July 28th at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 26 S. Madison Ave, Spring Valley, New York.

JAMCCAR’s President Millicent Johnson-James said, “We hope members of the community will join us on August 3rd as we celebrate!  One of our main objectives is uplifting our youth and we take great delight in congratulating and honoring these four young adults who have shown such academic excellence and positive commitment to the community. We congratulate them on earning the 2013 JAMCCAR Scholarship Award. We also extend deep appreciation to the young adults in our acclaimed Ekklipse Steel Band.”

As JAMCCAR celebrates its 23rd anniversary and Jamaica’s fifty-one 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 non-profit, community organization with a mission of fostering good relations with Jamaican-Americans and friends in the metropolitan area, with the purpose of promoting the civic, economic, and cultural aspects of the Jamaican, Caribbean, and Pan-African cultures.