Whiteman To Speak At COJO Scholarship Gala

Friday | December 2, 2011

Jamaica's former high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Burchell Whiteman, will be the special guest at the 17th Annual Scholarship Gala of the New York- based Jamaican charity Children of Jamaica Outreach (COJO) Inc. The gala and awards event takes place tomorrow at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, LaGuardia Airport, with a cocktail reception at 7:30 p.m. to be followed by dinner and dance.

Proceeds from the fund-raiser are used to provide scholarships and support for deserving students and Jamaican childcare institutions in need.

Whiteman, who spent half a century in public service as high school teacher, school and college principal, political representative, Cabinet minister, adviser to the governor general and high commissioner, currently serves as chairman of the Commonwealth of Learning, an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Canada, which promotes Open and Distance Learning for Development.

Critical to development

The former education minister said he remains convinced that education and culture are the critical contributors to human development.

For more than a decade, the volunteer-driven organisation has supported a number of institutions in Jamaica and the United States, such as the Alpha Boys' Home, Glenhope Place of Safety, Marigold Child Care Centre, Musgrave Girls' Home, Summerfield Boys' Home, Muirton Boys' Home and Windsor Girls' Home in Jamaica; and in New York, the Jamaica, Queens YMCA and Leaf of Life.

"It is heartening to see companies and individuals still making a contribution towards enhancing the future - our children - despite a challenging economic environment," said COJO Founder and Chairman Gary Williams.

A number of corporate entities, including JetBlue, have donated airline tickets as raffle prizes with a number of Jamaican hotels providing accommodation.

The 2011 honourees include:

• Basil E. Higgins - the Community Service Award
  
• Eric Miller of the Brooklyn Bottling Group - the Visionary Award
  
• Western Union - the Corporate Partner Award
  
• Carrole Guntley, director general in Jamaica's Ministry of Tourism - the Tourism Partner Award

Tickets for the annual gala are on sale now and can be obtained by contacting the Children of Jamaica Outreach office at1-888- 275-0121. For further information about COJO, including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.cojokids.org.