Eton Pearcy, chief executive officer of Jam Rock Events, is passionate about philanthropic efforts.
Reminiscing on his days as a student of Windward Road Primary School, Pearcy recalled how he was supported through tough days as a youngster growing up in Kingston Eastern.
An army veteran who now resides in Colorado, the entertainment events co-ordinator is looking to pay it forward with funds raised from a recent concert headlined by Sizzla.
The project, a breakfast programme to be implemented at his alma mater, will be Pearcy’s way of giving back to the community that raised him.
“There are a lot of people who are the curators of our culture that don’t look like us and, when that’s the case, benefits don’t flow back into the communities that birthed the genre and feed the country that fuels the culture. That’s my main reason for doing this. I wanted to tie everything I do back to the country and communities that built me,” Pearcy said. “As an alumnus of Windward Road Primary, it felt like a no-brainer to start there. What we aim to do at Jam Rock Events is make this programme sustainable. Anyone can jump-start an initiative, but we want to make sure that, even after us, there’s something that allows people to fall in place and continue what we started.”
Pearcy was speaking at the official launch and panel discussion for the Partial Incentives Breakfast Programme. Set to get underway at Windward Road Primary School in January, more than $1 million was raised from the Sizzla concert to fund the beginning of the programme.
Lauding Sizzla for his unwavering support from start to finish, Pearcy said the entertainer is a model of the kind of support the industry needs to foster community upliftment.
“Sizzla is one of the calmest, most humble human beings I have dealt with in the industry. He didn’t charge any money to come to Colorado. He was so interested in the project that he didn’t request a fee. We had a capacity of 1,000 people, and we had a sold-out show, so massive thanks to Sizzla for his support,” Pearcy said. “Everybody who was a part of this project understood the mission, and even when we had to compensate them, it wasn’t what they would usually charge, and we really appreciate that.”
Outlining that it still takes a village to raise a child, Pearcy said philanthropic projects need more support from the entertainment industry, as it will take everyone’s efforts to assist all the children in need across Jamaica.
“We would love to encourage others to participate in projects like these because, growing up, we learnt it takes a village to raise a child, and that hasn’t changed. This project is for a child who needs a village, and we just want the village to pay attention and give us your support,” he said.
Tamikee Walsh, a guidance counsellor at Windward Road Primary School, said the breakfast programme will prove highly beneficial for students. Indicating that it will boost punctuality and attendance, Walsh and her colleague, Nkoya McLeod, said productivity at the institution will undoubtedly increase once the programme gets underway.
“Once this breakfast programme is implemented and fully supported the school believes it will provide a major and positive change in the school environment. It would encourage them to come to school. If they’re coming to school, they’re being fed; this lightens the mood and gives them something to look forward to,” she said.
The Partial Incentives Breakfast Programme has earned the support and endorsement of the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE). The JSSE will be the accountability and transparency agency handling the funds generated from donations to the programme, creating a level of trust among social investors or donors.
— Shereita Grizzle
