A directors perspective on the AFJ

by Laura Tanna
HEN ASKED if I would become a director of the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) in 2006, I wasnt sure what it was. Research revealed that the AFJ was definitely a philanthropic group with which I wanted to be associated, in part because their administrative costs were low so money raised really reached people for whom it was intended, a big plus in my eyes. A reason for that is the AFJs policy of giving money to established organisations in health, education and development which have proven their responsibility with sound financial records but which need greater financial input to achieve more. Thats one of the reasons weve been backers of the St Patricks Foundation, Jamaica Society for the Blind, Bustamante Childrens Hospital, Mustard Seed Communities, and many more.

Another aspect of the AFJ which ensures money reaches those needing it most is that directors are volunteers, just like the volunteers who organise the two fund-raising galas each year in New York City and Miami. The executive director is compensated, but AFJ directors donate their time and skills to cut costs, taking an active interest in following up on how donors dollars are spent in Jamaica. Whether its the Engels support for MoBay Hope Medical Diagnostic Centre, or directors meeting with St Andrews Parish Church Outreach programmes in Majesty Gardens and taking residents deep into Back-To to see their living conditions, or sitting in a room at the University of the West Indies conferring with students benefiting from scholarships given by Ambassadors Cobb, Cooper and Holden, or sitting down with administrators and nurses at Cornwall Regional Hospital to understand their

needs, American Friends of Jamaica board members attend meetings in Jamaica and see for themselves the programmes to which they contribute in Jamaica, even if the money comes primarily from Americans in America, where AFJ donations are tax deductible.

INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
It might interest you that all past American ambassadors to Jamaica have come on board to continue helping Jamaica through the AFJ. Ambassador Glen Holden left Jamaica in 1993, but was president of the AFJ for 14 years until he handed over to Ambassador Sue Cobb. These are powerful people with influential networks of friends. Ambassador Cobb went on to be secretary of state in Florida. They and their colleagues ensure that the AFJ is reputable, always reaching out to find ways to help Jamaica. Ralph and Ricky Lauren yes, that Ralph Lauren have for years made substantial donations for education through the AFJ. Now that spirit of giving has seen the rise of americans in the diaspora and J others who know their contribu-

TANNA
tions are well spent through the AFJ. Some in South Florida who initiated the Miami gala are now board members. I dislike supplements, feeling their cost could be better used for the content discussed, but if this helps you understand the value of AFJs work and what has been accomplished with the US$11.9 million raised for Jamaica so far, please read this.

CONTRIBUTED

Lennox Lewis (left) and Chris Blackwell attend the American Friends of Jamaica Gala in New York in 2008.

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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

HE AMERICAN Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) was established in 1982, driven largely by a handful of wealthy Americans with homes on the north coast, and who had developed a deep appreciation, not only for the beauty and exuberance of Jamaica, but also for the needs of its people. The AFJ is what is known in the United States as a 501(c)(3) organisation, which means that contributions are tax deductible in the US. In other words, through AFJ, US residents and citizens can make contributions to Jamaican charities and get the tax advantages that would otherwise not be available if they were to make the donation straight to the Jamaican entity. As such, AFJ is a unique and valuable resource to Jamaica, combining integrity, credibility and a track record of charitable giving, the tax advantages that donors expect, and a widespread network of generous supporters and friends.

AFJ on a mission to help

CHARITABLE ORGANISATION
Today, AFJ contributors include American multinational corporations with commercial interests in Jamaica, Americans who vacation, work or reside in Jamaica, past and present members of the diplomatic corps, and a dynamic group of americans from the diaspora. J In its over 31 years of existence, AFJ has become a wellestablished charitable organisation which has raised and distributed approximately US$12 million to assist Jamaican charities in the areas of education, health care and human and economic development. The AFJ has had a special relationship with the University of the West Indies (UWI). Four bursaries have been established to benefit UWI

From left: Mark Jones, Ambassador Sue Cobb and Lacy Wright.
three bursaries to assist students, and the AFJ Cobb Family Lecture Series. The AFJ board of directors comprises 15 members: Ambassador Sue M. Cobb, Jim Cada, Barron Channer, Ambassador Gary Cooper, Sydney and Sylvia Engel, Pat Falkenberg, Manuela Goren, Ambassador Glen Holden, Lorraine Lorenc, Mark Jones, Ambassador Brenda Johnson, Monica Ladd, Ambassador Stan McLelland, Dr Laura Tanna, Michele Rollins and Lacy W r i g h t.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Riverton Meadows Early Childhood Development Centre, part of the St Patrick Foundation.
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012 15

Willing to serve Jamaica

All obstacles and controversies have reasonable and valuable solutions. Glen A. Holden
T THE request of President George Bush (41), Holden served as the United States ambassador to Jamaica from April 1989 until March 1993. Holden became deeply dedicated to the nation and its people and ultimately served as the chair of the charitable organisation, American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), for 14 years. Upon leaving his post as chair of the AFJ in 2007, he shared with the Jamaica G l e a n e r : I love Jamaica and the Jamaican people, and I will always be around to help in whatever way I can. I wish the best for the country and its HOLDEN wonderful people. Ambassador Holden grew up on a ranch outside of Portland, Oregon from the age of six where he developed a passion for horses and eventually polo. His Gehache Team has played 25 straight years in the Pacific Coast Open Championship and has played in the US Open several times, winning the championship in 1993.

Sue Cobb ascending to great heights

SUE MCCOURT Cobb has spent most of the past decade in federal and state government service. From 2001 to 2005, she was the American envoy to Jamaica. During 2006, Ambassador Cobb served as secretary of state of Florida, a return to Floridas capitol, having served in the Cabinet of Governor Jeb Bush in the late 90s as CEO of the Florida Lottery. Throughout 2003-2007, Ambassador Cobb also served as co-chair of the US Department of States mandatory seminars for newly appointed ambassadors. Sue Cobb is currently president of The Cobb Family Foundation and is engaged in private-sector business activities with Cobb Partners, Ltd, a Coral Gables, Florida-based investment COBB firm. In 2007, Ambassador Cobb was elected to serve as president of the American Friends of Jamaica, a nationwide, New York-based charitable organisation. She is an active member of the Council of American Ambassadors and the Council on Foreign Relations. She is the sponsor of the State Departments Exemplary Diplomatic Service award for non-career ambassadors. Her husband, Ambassador Charles Cobb, sponsors two State Department awards for Initiative and Success in Trade Development. In private engagements, Ambassador Cobb was founding partner of the Public Finance Department of the GreenbergTraurig law firm where she practised for several years. She also served three terms as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank, Miami Branch. Long involved in civic and charitable organisations, Ambassador Cobb has been recognised for her contributions in both Jamaica and Iceland and by numerous organisations, including the American Red Cross, the United Way, Goodwill Industries and the National Conference for Community and Justice. Sue Cobb is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Miami School of Law. She has published in the U n i v e r s i t y o f M i a m i L a w R e v i e w and also authored a book titled T h e E d g e o f E v e r e s t , an account of her travels through China and Tibet and her attempt to be the first woman from the United States to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

ACHIEVEMENTS
He was inducted into the Museum of Polo Hall of Fame. For 10 years, Ambassador Holden was governor of the US Polo Association and a founder and member of the Council of Administration of the Federacin Internacional de Polo (FIP), which is the governing body for the sport of polo in the International Olympics. He has served as president of FIP commencing January 1997 and ending his , nine-year term in December 2005. He is a trustee of 34 years of the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Ambassador Holden received an honorary doctorate of philanthropy and an honorary doctorate of laws from Pepperdine University. He was the recipient of the American Humanics Hand to Youth Award and its Exemplar Award in 1986. In 1990, he received the Oxford Cup, Beta Theta Pi fraternitys most prestigious alumni award. The ambassador was the inaugural recipient of The National Association of Variable Annuity Hall of Fame Award. He also was inducted into the US Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame.

CONTRIBUTED

Ambassador Sue Cobb (centre) with students and staff of the St Andrews Care Centre (SACC) and SACC chairman, Milverton Reynolds (right), 2011.

Giving a helping hand

AMBASSADOR BRENDA Johnson was appointed as the United States Ambassador to Jamaica from 2005 to 2009. She is a founding partner of BrenMer Industries, having started in 1977. The company imports and markets consumer products. Since departing embassy Kingston, Ambassador Johnson has joined the Laura Bush Womens Council a part of the George W. Bush Institute. She serves on the board of the St Georges Society and the Rose Town Foundation in Kingston, Jamaica. Ambassador Johnson has supported and made a difference in Jamaica and with the AFJ for many years. She is alert to peoples needs, always willing to listen and help find solutions. The board of directors has elected Ambassador Johnson as president of the AFJ, effective November 2012.

JOHNSON

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AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

The Engels Helping to make Jamaican institutions first class

WENTY-FIVE YEARS ago, Sydney and Sylvia Engel fell in love with Jamaica and its people. They enjoy the weather and, being three hours from New York, it is a good location for their annual family reunions. After a heart attack during a visit to Montego Bay, Sydney Engel decided to put his efforts into improving the medical conditions in Jamaica. With support from Half Moon, Ralph Lauren, Baptist Hospital and other contributors, MoBay Hope Medical Centre was inaugurated in 1997. In 2011-2012, through the efforts of MoBay Hope and the American Friends of Jamaica, Inc, money has been contributed to fund equipment for two new operating suites and much-needed medical equipment for Cornwall Regional Hospital. I have put my efforts out to help rebuild Cornwall

Regional Hospital which is so important to the community, tourists and visitors; I would like to see it become a first-class facility comparable to what we have in the United States, says Sydney Engel.

FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE
Sydney Engel has been involved in industrial, residential and commercial real-estate development since 1946 in the United States. With experience in every aspect of the business from planning to construction to architectural review and financing he offers a depth of first-hand experience not commonly found in the industry today. Throughout his successful and substantial career, Engel has continued to build opportunity for his partners and collaborators, delivering one success after another.

PHOTO BY NOEL THOMPSON

Sydney and Sylvia Engel.

Ambassador Coopers life of purpose

THE LORD allows us only one lifetime here on Earth, and some people seem able to fill theirs to overflowing with a remarkable number of accomplishments. Consider this list of achievements and titles: Graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Marine Corps major general, ambassador to Jamaica, state legislator, honorary doctorate from Troy University, assistant secretary of the Air Force, board member for national corporations, Alabama commissioner of human resources. They all belong to one man, Mobiles J. Gary Cooper, more properly identified as Ambassador Cooper or General Cooper. He was raised in the Down the Bay section of Mobile, south of the Mobile Civic Centre. He grew up in the 1940s and early 50s when Mobile was still a fully segregated Southern city. In 1948, his father, A.J. Cooper Sr, was leading a fund-raising effort to build a hospital that would accept AfricanAmerican women. In those days, black babies were born at home. One day, police cars drove down Delaware Street, then just a dirt road, escorting a limousine that stopped in front of the Cooper home. Out stepped Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen and Clare Boothe Luce, former congresswoman, and wife of Henry Luce, the founder of T i m e M a g a z i n e . They were there to help with the hospital fund. Sheen, a nationally famous television figure, spoke to young Gary about Notre Dame and told him that, if he wanted to go there, Sheen himself would write a recommendation.

SCHOLARSHIP
Cooper graduated from Most Pure Heart of Mary School and did head to Notre Dame. He left Mobile on the Hummingbird, a train that took him north. He rode in the last car the coloured car. Although a scholarship provided some money, there were still major expenses. Cooper actually got help from the state of Alabama. In the days of separate but equal, black colleges often were unable to offer all the fields of study found at white colleges. So the state would pay the tuition difference for a black student who had to go out of state for his major. In Coopers case, that major was finance. He says that he got a nice check, about $5,000 he recalls, from Montgomery and quietly invested it with MerrillLynch. Clearly, he had already learned some things from his classes. At Notre Dame, Cooper was one of only three African-Americans in his 1958 class of 1,500. He says everyone was cordial to him, and he grew completely comfortable functioning in that environment. I dont think I would have been as successful as I was in the Marine Corps without the Notre Dame experience,

Cooper says. It exposed me to diversity. It exposed me to white folk whom I never sat in a room with in my life. The Reserve Officer Training Corps was a part of most colleges in those days. Cooper joined up with the Marine contingent, fulfilling a dream that began when he saw John Wayne in S a n d s o f I w o J i m a at the Harlem Theatre in Mobile. Anybody that bad, he laughs today, I wanted to be like them! He got his chance at combat in Vietnam, starting in May 1966. A child of the harshly segregated South, he was now a black man giving orders to white men, commanding a Marine company.

FLABBERGASTED
In 1989, Cooper was appointed assistant secretary of the Air Force, and he became President Bill Clintons choice as ambassador to Jamaica, serving from 1994 to 1997. Among his many photos are a cluster showing him standing with three different presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Clinton. Cooper still has causes. He is worried about the next generation. I dont know what to do with our children! Im flabbergasted! The only thing I can think of is education, he said. Most of us would agree that Gary Cooper has had enough adventures to fill a book and, it turns out, thats one of his latest projects. Still in the very early stages, he laughs.
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Ambassador J. Gary Cooper.

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

Stan McLelland A man of many talents

Michele Rollins love for Ja

MICHELE ROLLINS fondly remembers the first time she saw Jamaica. It was 1976, and the former Miss USA-turned attorney was dating business tycoon, John W. Rollins Sr, Delawares former lieutenant governor. She fell in love with Jamaicas white sand, emerald peaks and Rose Hall, the Montego Bay property that John Rollins rescued from ruins. I thought it was absolutely marvellous, she recalls. Her passion for Jamaica was ROLLINS one of many things she shared with her husband, whom she married in 1977. John Rollins felt so strongly about Jamaica that he spent $2.5 million renovating the Rose Hall Great House. He built two hotels at a time when tourism was a new island industry. But, critics might say, love is blind. In the 1970s, when interest rates were skyrocketing, most investors wouldnt touch the politically volatile island. John Rollins, however, was investing hundreds of millions of dollars and losing it. His conviction didnt waver.

EXAS OIL executive Stanley Louis McLelland arrived in Jamaica on February 4, 1998, and presented his credentials to the governor general of Jamaica as the US ambassador to Jamaica on February 6, 1998. He was nominated by President Clinton on October 2, 1997, and confirmed as the new United States ambassador to Jamaica on November 10, 1997. McLelland has served for the last 16 years as a senior executive (most recently, executive vicepresident and general counsel) of Valero Energy Corporation, an independent refiner based in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to his business experience, McLelland has been involved in a number of civic, international and charitable activities. He was selected as host cochairman of the 1991 US-Mexico Border Attorneys General Conference, and served in trade delegations to Mexico in 1991 and 1995. A member of the Texas Union Advisory Council for the

PASSIONATE
Today Michele Rollins, chair of Rollins Jamaica Ltd, the holding company for Rose Hall Development Ltd, is seeing the couples forbearance bear fruit. Like her late husband, Michele Rollins remains passionate about Jamaica, spending about half the year there. And the love affair shows no sign of waning. This is a huge opportunity for world-class tourism, says Rollins, whos become a business powerhouse in her own right. You can feel the excitement.

MCLELLAND
University of Texas at Austin, McLelland also serves on the Development Board for the University of Texas at San Antonio, and the Presidents Council for the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He also is a member of the United Way of Americas National Corporate Associates Council. A Texas native, he graduated in 1967 from the University of Texas Law School. In 1991, he received a diploma from Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business, Executive Programme.

American Friends of Jamaica board of directors with University of the West Indies students.

Jim Cada A community man

JAMES A. Cada was born and raised on a farm north of Schuyler, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of NebraskaLincoln with a Bachelor of Science degree, a Master of Arts degree in education, and his law degree from the University of Nebraska College of law. After graduation, he worked as a prosecutor and assistant city attorney for the City of Lincoln, working primarily in criminal trial practice. Cada has been licensed to practise law in the state of Nebraska since 1972 and conducts trial work in both county and district courts. He is admitted to practise before the US Supreme Court, US Court of Claims, the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals, US District Courts and the Nebraska State Courts. Cada taught five years as an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
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CADA
He is very active in the community; his service includes the Nebraska Bar Association, where he was in the House of Delegates for eight years as well as in many bar association committees. He also served on the Bar Foundation and continues to serve as a pretrial release hearing officer, as he has done since 1983. Cada is on the board of

directors of the Nebraska Association of Trial Lawyers and is a member of the American Association for Justice. He also has been appointed by the governor of Nebraska to the Health Coordinating Council, the Nebraska Workforce Investment Board, the veterans task force on the Nebraska Partnership, and chair of the selection committee for the Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Cada is currently the secretary of the American Friends of Jamaica board of directors as well as a member of the Better Business Bureau, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce and the American Jamaican Chamber of Commerce.

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE I SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012

AFJ raises funds with Hummingbird Gala

T
HE ANNUAL New York Gala is the American Friends of Jamaicas (AFJ) flagship event celebrating an individual and/or company with significant contributions to the country while raising important funds for charities in Jamaica. The night begins with a silent auction and cocktails followed by dinner, live auction, award presentation and entertainment. An exciting night in honour of Jamaica! The AFJ honours individuals and/or companies that have distinguished themselves by demonstrating leadership in their service to Jamaica, in particular through exemplary contributions in the areas of education, health care and economic development, and strengthening the bonds of friendship between the US and Jamaica. The AFJ awards the International Humanitarian Award and the AFJ International Achievement Award. In 2007, the AFJ adopted the etching of Jamaicas national bird, the hummingbird or doctor bird as the symbol of leadership, service and philanthropy dedicated to Jamaica. Former honourees include Ralph and Ricky Lauren, Harry Belafonte, Denis OBrien, Chris Blackwell, Michel Rollins, Orville Shaggy Burrell, Lennox Lewis and Maurice and Valerie Facey. South Florida planning committee members of the AFJ I Wendy Hart I Deborah McConnell-Abrahams I Barron Channer I Julie Seaga-Cortizas I Lara Dyke I Gina Ford I Mike Gelin I Marc Goodman I Alana Hardan I Alexandra Martinez Junor I Francis and Gabby Reid I Ruth Robinson I Nicola Rousseau I Nadine Sommons I Sharon Walker

Caron Chung charting the path

AS EXECUTIVE director of the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), Caron Chung is responsible for aligning ongoing programmes with the organisations mission and purpose. Caron Chung has over 15 years of marketing and management experience. She has been involved in all fund-raising activities, reinforcing the AFJ as a leading nonprofit for Jamaica and identifying programmes. Her guiding principle is there is no greater feeling than the feeling you get from giving.

CHUNG
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012 23

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA MOMENTS

THANKS TO OUR JAMAICAN PARTNERS: Couples Resorts, Sandals Resorts, Iberostar Hotel, Island Outpost, Jamaica Tours Limited, The Jamaica Gleaner, GraceKennedy and Company Ltd., Rose Hall Developments, Jamaica National Building Society, Pan-Jamaica Investment, Digicel.
24 AMERICAN FRIENDS OF JAMAICA 30TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURE | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2012