Benevolent Missions of Atlanta (BMA) announces its 2009 fall benefit – Jazz in the Garden – which will be held Sunday, September 13th in downtown Atlanta. BMA, an Atlanta-based not-for-profit organization, has a successful history of giving to underserved children in the island of Jamaica and Atlanta.
The organization’s mission is dedicated to effectively harnessing and leveraging the time, talent, and resources of the Jamaica-U.S. community to assist disadvantaged and at-risk children, who possess great potential, throughout the island of Jamaica and in the metro Atlanta area. BMA’s goal is to help ensure that these children are prepared for a lifetime of socially-responsible citizenship.
BMA has just wrapped up a successful project at St. Ann’s Bay Primary, where a computer laboratory was established to assist students in their learning and several students were awarded scholarships to enable them to navigate the financial challenges facing many Jamaican primary school attendees. The organization is expanding its program this fall, to the second of six targeted schools, Seaward Primary School in Kingston, where a library facility will be equipped and up to 10 students will receive scholarships.
The event, to be held at the Mayfair Renaissance in Atlanta, kicks off at 4:00 p.m. sharp. Mistress of ceremonies, Fox 5’s Emmy-award winning journalist Amanda Davis, has spent many years championing the cause of disadvantaged children in Georgia.
In line with BMA’s commitment to hosting forward-thinking events, Professor the Honorable Rex Nettleford, Vice Chancellor Emeritus at the University of the West Indies, will serve as the keynote speaker. Professor Nettleford is a well-known Caribbean scholar, trade union educator, social and cultural historian, and political analyst. His numerous intellectual publications and his tireless work in the preservation of the Afro-Caribbean culture have made him one of the most sought-after cultural consultants globally. He will be addressing the audience on Jamaica’s challenges in providing a world class Primary/Elementary school education and the role for Jamaicans who reside outside the Island and friends of Jamaica.
Well-known blues and jazz vocalist, Faith Carmichael, is slated to thrill the attendees with her smokey blues sound, reminiscent of Billy Holiday and Tracy Chapman. She is the daughter of an opera-singer mother and a father who sang back-up for Harry Belafonte.
Sponsors for the event include Sunset Beach Resort & Spa, Wright Concept, and Lanier Parking.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.benevolentmissions.com or email jomcnish@yahoo.com. For media inquiries, contact Yana Lee-Fong Cooke at yanacooke@hotmail.com or Gail Dunwell at gac1107@bellsouth.net.
