Alcoa Foundation Donates US$260,000 in Grants

A number of organizations and entities, which undertake projects in health, education and the environment, among other areas, have received US$260,000 in grants from the Alcoa Foundation.
Jerome Maxwell, Managing Director of Jamalco, handed over the cheques at a presentation ceremony held last week at the Jamalco refinery in Halse Hall, Clarendon.
A little over US$163,000 was presented to the Sickle Cell Trust, to fund research over a two-year period, to identify the sickle cell trait among teens and newborns in Manchester, and to reduce its occurrence through early screening and education.
Literacy and computation skills are also to be improved in Jamalco’s mining areas through the granting of US$120,000 to the Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning.

Jamalco’s Managing Director, Jerome Maxwell (2nd right), pose with representatives of entities, which recently received grant cheques from the Alcoa Foundation to carry on their work. The presentations were made at Jamalco’s offices in Halse Hall, Clarendon.

A disaster relief grant, to the tune of US$20,000 was presented to the Mustard Seed Communities for the rehabilitation of Sophie’s Place in Gordon Town, St. Andrew, which is home to a number of disabled children. The facility was severely damaged during the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav in August.
Other beneficiaries are: United Way of Jamaica, Caribbean Coastal Area Foundation and the Brother’s Brother Foundation, which were given sums of US$57,500, US$15,000 and US$7,000 respectively, to undertake projects to better the lives of Jamaicans.
According to Mr. Maxwell, the grants are in keeping with the company’s effort to serve communities in which it operates.
Meanwhile, Manager of Corporate Services and Government Affairs, Leo Lambert, disclosed that the Foundation has spent US$1.5 million since 2002, in the areas of education, health, security, sports and community development.