JAMCCAR’S Heritage Week Celebration-

“Prospering with a Sense of Purpose“

The purposeful origins of JAMCCAR’s Heritage Week and its burgeoning growth in popularity have transformed the cultural landscape of Rockland County and neighboring areas. JAMCCAR’s Heritage Week is now a fixed and highly anticipated part of Rockland County’s annual community calendar of events. In keeping with the 2008 theme of Purpose and Prosperity – Eighteen Years of service, we thought it fitting to reflect on the how this annual celebration began and its flourishing appeal to the community as a whole.

Purpose of Heritage Week:

  • Tie this event to the commemoration of Jamaica’s Independence to give a flavor of the island’s cultural celebrations.
  • Teach our youth (JAMKids as they named themselves) about Jamaica and have them research and learn about their rich cultural heritage, little, if any of which was being taught in the schools;  build their pride about their roots; and share their knowledge and insights with the community.
  • Share Jamaican culture with the wider community at a nominal cost, to foster increased awareness and to help change stereotypical images of Jamaica and Jamaicans.
  • Celebrate the academic accomplishments and community service of our youth by awarding scholarship awards to deserving college-bound high school graduates.
  • A brief service of Thanksgiving
  • The play
  • Exhibit and sale of Jamaican art  (with artists Paul Blackwood and Courtney Morgan and others)
  • A reception with Jamaican food.
  • The events were also videotaped and cablecast in their entirety on the local cable television station to further public awareness.

Friends and Family Day Picnic

Presented by JAMCCAR:

JAMCCAR’s founding Board of Directors and the Jamaican Consulate supported the idea of and purposes for an annual cultural celebration, and so the “Annual Cultural Showcase” was born.  Then, as now, this event was generally held on the Sunday afternoon – generally the last Sunday in July –   preceding the annual Independence Dinner Dance.  For the first few years, the heart of the programs was a full-length play written and directed by our own Mrs. Cynthia Stafford, weaving Jamaican history, folk songs, dances, poetry, music etc. around the story of two young Jamaicans Calvin and Dinah!  JamKids were very involved in all aspects of the productions, as were our young adults, and older adults. These Annual Cultural Showcases were truly intergenerational productions.  The programs which were held at the Threefold Auditorium in Chestnut Ridge (formerly South Spring Valley), New York attracted a wide cross-section of the community and included:

JAMCCAR's Steel Band at INDEPENDENCE GALA 16'

JAMCCAR’s Steel Band plays at our Independance Gala. We are proud to share our Jamaican and Caribbean heritage with Rockland County and the wider community.

 


KAY BAXTER
MEMORIAL CRICKET MATCH

JAMCCAR’s cricket team was established in approximately 1986 by Lenny Row, for the first eight years it was known as the “Spring Valley Cricket Club”. In about 1995, the team was incorporated into the JAIVICCAR fold and became ” The JAMCCAR Cricket Club “

Jamaica Donations

Jamccar often has donations which are sent to the children in Jamaica

KAY BAXTER

served as Jamaica’s consul general to Toronto from 1987 to 1992 and then as consul general to New York until her death in 1998.  She was always very supportive and proud of JAMCCAR, and particularly celebrated our cultural programs for our youth and our sports programs. We are honored to present and participate in this annual cricket match in her memory.