The Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica
“In service to humanity”
Foundation
A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes
Unlike a company, foundations have no shareholders, though they may have a board, an assembly and voting members. A foundation may hold assets in its own name for the purposes set out in its constitutive documents, and its administration and operation are carried out in accordance with its statutes or articles of association rather than fiduciary principles. The foundation has a distinct patrimony independent of its founder.
The Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected from all 5 divisions in Jamaica to serve without compensation of any kind.
KIWANIS FOUNDATION OF JAMAICA
The idea of a Foundation for the Kiwanis Movement in Jamaica was first promoted by Distinguished Lieutenant Governor Douglas Folkes, while he was Lieutenant Governor of Division 23, (1979/80.) Having recognized the need for a Foundation, the Division instructed Distinguished Lieutenant Governor of Excellence - Lloyd Distant to communicate with the District to seek guidance and direction on the establishment of the Foundation in Jamaica.
Past President Paul Crawford of the Kiwanis Club of Spanish Town Club was elected Chairman of a Committee to establish a Kiwanis Foundation in Jamaica. At the meeting of Division 23, on 28th November 1979, the mandate of the Committee was established.
It was hoped that the Foundation would be chartered before the end of the second quarter of the Administrative year 1979/80.
It was not until 1987 that a meeting was held as and after much deliberation the Articles and Memorandum of Association were approved “to be exercised solely in the furtherance of the Objects of the Foundation”.
The first object was “To promote any charitable purposes for the benefit of the public of Jamaica and in particular the advancement of Kiwanis, education, the furtherance of health and relief of poverty, distress and sickness”.
At a meeting of the Past Lt. Governors Committee held in Ocho Rios on May 20, 1990 DLGE Mike Henriques reported that after much effort all signatories had been obtained but the registration of the Foundation had not been done but it would be achieved within a week- and a Board of Directors Meeting held shortly thereafter.
KIWANIS FOUNDATION OF JAMAICA OVERVIEW AND HISTORY
The Articles and Memorandum of the Association were dated and signed the 11th day of September 1990 but were registered with the Registrar of Companies on the 19th day of February 1991.
The subscribers to the registration documents were
1. DLGE Mike Henriques (Chairman),
2. DLG Robert Blackwood,
3. PG Carlton Levy,
4. DLGE Fitzroy Ramsay
5. DLG Oswald Lee.
6. DLGE Lloyd Distant
7. DLGE Las Lewis
The seven subscribers to the registration documents were effectively the only members of the Foundation.
However, in January 2000, PG Carlton Levy was elected Chairman and the Board called for a review of the Articles to guarantee the automatic membership of all Kiwanis Clubs in Jamaica. The Articles were amended accordingly at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 31st August 2002. The amendment also provided for a Presidential form of management. The Board of Directors subsequently approved DG Godfrey Dyer as a member of the Foundation in recognition of his accomplishment of being the first non-North American to be elected President of Kiwanis International Foundation.
Although the Foundation was legally registered on 19th February 1991, its first Annual General Meeting was held in Mandeville on 8th March 2003, at which DLGE Lloyd Distant (Snr.) was elected its first President. The Foundation has had a very uncertain start and it was not until 2003 that it started to meaningfully execute its mandate, when it under took the construction of the Candle in the Dark facility for street people in Mandeville and its environs, on behalf of the Eastern Canada & Caribbean District.
The Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica’s mission is to assist Kiwanis Clubs in Jamaica serving the children of the world. After all, that service makes up Kiwanis’ own mission. So, the work of the foundation helps the Kiwanis family of programs to change children’s lives—often in ways that would otherwise remain beyond the resources of clubs and divisions. It subsequently adopted the Motto “In the Service of Humanity”
In fact, the vision is to extend your Kiwanis impact. We strive to make sure your gift helps children in many places and many ways. And we succeed by holding fast to a set of core values that we share with Kiwanis International Foundation:
Stewardship. We are committed to meeting and sustaining donors’ confidence that our foundation will invest their contributions wisely and distribute them in keeping with the values inherent in the Kiwanis International mission.
Transparency. We strive to treat all constituents fairly and ethically and to be above board in all our dealings.
Responsiveness. We are relevant and proactive in meeting donors’ and grantees’ needs.
Legacy. We give donors the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the world.
Integrity. We deal honestly in our interactions with all stakeholders.
Trust. Through the integrity of our actions, we seek to earn and maintain the trust of our Kiwanis family and constituents.
Along with all these values comes accountability. Your gifts reflect your hope for children’s lives—and your trust in us. So, we strive to earn that trust. We share our reports that document gifts, grants and the people we serve. We hold an annual general meeting each year where detailed reports on our activities and finances are given.
Among our chief purposes are:
To provide financial support in many ways including:
Promoting and providing financial support for Service Leadership Programs in all four Divisions in Jamaica.
Promoting and encouraging the presentation of scholarships by Kiwanis Clubs through the additional funding and support, when possible.
Collecting funds and administering the National Disaster Relief Fund (e.g. The Haiti Relief Fund)
Supporting special Kiwanis causes
To do such things as will advance the objects of KI and the development of Kiwanis Clubs in Jamaica.
The KFJ is:
- not a giant Kiwanis Club
- not there to compete with the Kiwanis Clubs , but rather to compliment and assist in their reach to the public.
- occasionally the KFJ will implement a project of national importance based on how the funding was achieved.
- on other occasions the KFJ will always work through Kiwanis clubs
- In March 2000 Kiwanis International Foundation signed an agreement with the KFJ for it to collect and hold funds contributed by clubs to the KIF, on its behalf. It is to be noted that all funds collected on behalf of the KIF, remains in Jamaica and may be expended in Jamaica based on approved application or submission from the KFJ
Major achievements:
Ø Established the “Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica, Godfrey Dyer Scholarship” in August 2004 to provide secondary education for five years to a Builders’ Clubber. The first scholarship was awarded to Miss Sharoy Willie of Halfway Tree Primary School for $30,000 per annum.
Ø Established a Newsletter “The KFJ Update” in December 2003, to provide Kiwanis information and education to its membership.
Ø Undertook to oversee the construction of the Candle in the Dark Project in Mandeville. This project arose through Mrs. Jennifer Reid being awarded “Citizen of the Year”, at the District Convention held in Ocho Rios in 2001 for her work with the project. The project was started in 1995 by Mrs. Reid, a former member of the Kiwanis Club of Mandeville and her husband Dr. Art Reid, a Charter member and Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Mandeville. The Project provided for the “ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of the mentally challenged and ‘street people’ of the municipality of Mandeville and its environs.” The major focus being the provision of a ‘soup kitchen’ at which they feed the ‘street people’ daily. The EC&C District Board in 2002 named it a District Project The building houses a kitchen, dining area, office, storerooms, bathrooms, counseling and craft centre.
The building was completed and delivered to in November 2004 and the programme continues to meet its objectives.
Ø Organized the repairs of seventeen (17) schools damaged by Hurricane Ivan in November 2004. Educational institutions were severely damaged and, in an effort, to repair some of these the KFJ and the four Lt. Governors sought assistance from the EC&C District and Kiwanis International Foundation. The funds were channeled through 16 clubs in the four divisions, but the KFJ negotiated with the Incorporated Master Builders Association of Jamaica to monitor the repairs of the respective schools, on its behalf. Five schools were repaired in Div. 23E; four in Div. 23W; four in Div. 24 and four in Div. 25.
Ø Donated to assist a student undergo heart surgery which was successfully undertaken
Ø Jointly with the Council of Past Lt. Governors in Jamaica, it organized the All Island Convention of Kiwanis Clubs in Jamaica on behalf of the four Lt. Governors. This is usually solely undertaken by the Council of Past Lt. Governors in Jamaica. This conference can be used as one of the qualifying criteria for a club’s distinguished award.
Ø Executed a Discipline and Courtesy Campaign project in 2004 which was endorsed by then GG Sir Howard Cooke. 500,000 brochures were produced brochures titled – “Let’s all be Disciplined, Let’s all be Courteous”, for distribution to school children. Kiwanians throughout the island spoke with students on the topic while distributing the brochures
The project was subsequently extended to include the transport sector in Kingston and St.
Andrew where it attached “Form A Line” signs to buses to encourage the discipline boarding of
buses.
Ø In the aftermath of hurricane Dean in 2007, the KFJ was selected by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to repair 12 Basic Schools using their contribution of Cdn$250,000.00. All schools which were identified by the Early Childhood Commission of the Ministry of Education (ECCME) were completely repaired according to the initial scope of work. Additional upgrading work has been undertaken at a number of these schools related to structural support, bathroom facilities, electrification, perimeter fencing and supporting wall
Frank Melhado Awards Brunch
Ø The Foundation has established a series of Awards since 2006 which are presented annually at the Frank Melhado Awards Brunch. Frank Melhado was the Charter President of the first Kiwanis Club in Jamaica, The Kiwanis Club of Kingston
s The Frank Melhado and Las Lewis Awards recognizes the contributions made by Kiwanians to the movement and community
s The Kiwanis Foundation of Jamaica Community Service Award which recognizes an individual or organization who has contributed significantly and consistently to his or her community
s Annual monetary awards to a club in each division in Jamaica based on projects submitted by Kiwanis clubs
Ø In the year 2006, the Melhado Family donated US$5,000.00 to the KFJ for project(s) benefiting children.
Ø Bursaries to Kiwanis International Builders’ Club speech (oratorical) contest winners. Bursaries in the form of book grants valued at J$10,000 each are available to each Divisional winner of the oratorical contest each year.
Ø The KFJ produced a book, “History of Kiwanis in Jamaica 1964-2009” outlining the achievements of the movement in Jamaica over its the first 45 years. This book was done in conjunction with the UWI and should be a required reading for members of the Kiwanis Movement in Jamaica. I am urging every member here to acquire their own copy. Not only that, the solid achievement of the movement in Jamaica is amply illustrated and will serve to convince potential donors of the value of their contributions.
{The Altar Call}
It is the mission of the current Board of the KFJ to ensure that the Kiwanis fraternity is aware of its existence and support it efforts. We would like every club to have one of its meeting before the end of the 3rd quarter to be dedicated to “knowing the KFJ”.