Photo: Mr. Dave Myrie (Principal of Kingston College) – Kerry-Ann Young and Tamicka Bonnick (PUMA/FORTIS 5K Committee members), Pauletta Jones (Alpha Boys Home school administrator) Mr. Rick Case (PUMA/FORTIS 5K Project Manager)
The Alpha Boys Home, the major charity of the PUMA-FORTIS 5K run received a huge boost today when they were presented with a cheque for $135,000 at Kingston College (KC). The donation represented 10% of the proceeds the school gained from the second staging of their 5K road race which was held on May 4.
The race had just over 1100 participants this year, approximately 200 more than the first staging in 2013. The proceeds of the race are used primarily for the welfare, educational and sports development programmes at Kingston College.
The home received $60,000 last year which was 5% of the earnings from the inaugural staging but a decision was made by KC to double the percentage this year. This along with the increase in the number of participants led to the sizeable donation which represents more than a 100% increase on the contribution year over year.
Mr. Rick Case a former head boy at the school and project manager for the PUMA/FORTIS 5K run said, “I am pleased to see Jamaicans embracing a healthy sporting lifestyle that contributes to worthy causes such as this. It is a win-win for the individual and the cause.
“We at Kingston College are about our community and have seen the need at Alpha Boys School so we have responded this way. We would have loved to give more and we know that will come in time as the event grows,” he concluded.
A beaming Pauletta Jones, administrator at Alpha Boys Home said, “It is an overwhelming amount for which we are very happy. It will be put to good use. We haven’t identified a specific project yet. There are so many things that need to be done so we will have to decide based on project priority. Last year’s contribution was used to repair musical instruments at the institution.
“The amount has caught us by pleasant surprise and we can’t say thank you enough to this beloved institution,” she concluded.
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