BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. –– Billed as a “Sizzling Jamaican Soiree,” the Rotary Club of Englewood’s Oct. 17 event at the Flat Rock Brook Nature Center lived up to its name, both in food and the lively company.
The fundraiser, attended by over 60 Rotary officials and members, as well as honored guests, raised money to buy a bus for the Hamilton Educational Institute (HEI), a second chance school in Jamaica.
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Former Rotary President Jill Abbott and her husband, John Blakely, and Rotary President Jennie Katsaros greeted people as they arrived. Speakers included project chair and host of the soiree, Eddie Hadden (a Rotary past president), the project’s Founders Gerd Stern and John Devol (who is also founder of Arts Horizon and a Rotary past president) and many Rotary members from Englewood as well as other chapters in Bergen County, such as Wyckoff, Teaneck and Ridgewood.
Many of the attendees wore Caribbean patterned attire – blouses, shirts and skirts bursting with colorful flowers and tropical fish, which enhanced the evening’s theme.
Along with soft drinks, wine and beer, the tasty Jamaican fare included jerk chicken, callaloo and salt fish, beef and chicken patties, rice and peas.
After diners made their way down the buffet line and found seats, they engaged in friendly conversations and shared stories of the HEI school.
DJ Scott Reddin played reggae and calypso music that helped transport guests to the Caribbean.
The Rotary’s International Project Committee spoke with guests throughout the evening. In addition to Hadden, Devol, Abbott and Katsaros, committee members at the soiree were Joyce Grossbard, Eileen O’Driscoll, Aleta Frezzell, a Rotary past president and District Assistant Governor and Sonia Tracey, founder and past president of the Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland (JAMCCAR).
Committee members who could not attend the soiree but who worked on the project are Charlotte Bennett Schoen and David Chazen.
In addition to ticket sales, the Rotary Club raised money with a 50/50 raffle as well as bids to win a $500 gift certificate donated by Liberty Travel in Englewood.
A school that helps students left behind
All of the money raised at the Jamaican Soiree will be used to purchase a bus for the Hanover Educational Institute. HEI is a bold and futuristic school that offers a second chance to students who have dropped out of school, who are slow learners, who are underachievers, who were expelled because of gang activity and those sidelined for other reasons, such as unwed motherhood. Students at HEI range in age from 12-27.
The emcee of the Jamaican Soiree, Hadden, explained that in Jamaica, students must take a national test in the eighth grade, and if they don’t pass that test, they can no longer attend public school. This leaves countless youngsters with few career opportunities and a bleak future.
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The institute, located outside Negril, opened its doors to the public in 2002 and has educated over 1,000 students. Devol, and Stern, who donated 3 acres on which the school was built, have been involved with this school since 2008. Stern had bought 400 acres of land in Jamaica 30 years ago, and he now owns 30 acres.
“I was was happy to donate 3 acres to the school. The school works wonders with kids that have been left behind. Many students have learning and language issues that have made it difficult for them to succeed,” he said.
Jamaica is a very large country with many people seeking jobs. So, even students who do graduate from public school with an academic education often cannot find work. This school teaches them vocations from which they can earn a living and have a quality of life, Stern explained.
The mission statement of HEI is: “The Hanover Educational Institute seeks to empower individuals through academic, professional and personal development, enabling them to become masters of their destiny, positive contributors and shapers of society, thus producing well-balanced efficient individuals for the future.”
Since its inception in 2002, the HEI has had great success, as attested to by its 90 percent pass rate in exams administered by the Overseas Examination Council.
The Englewood Rotary Club made a financial donation in 2015. In April 2016, another gift was made when seven Rotarians and family members paid a weeklong visit to the school, getting to know the students and learning more about their needs.
But, currently, there is desperate need for a minivan to help in the daily operations of the institution, including assisting in field trips, hauling goods, materials and supplies for the benefit of the students, and a new training program of the school’s catering activities.
Getting the students to school has been an ongoing challenge, and Stern emphasized the importance of a school bus: “The school is located between Negril and Montego Bay, about a 25-minute ride from Negril. Without a school bus, the students have to try to hitch rides or hop on public transportation transport vehicles every day.”
During the soiree, there was a video shown that featured the students at HEI. This was followed by a Skype session with the school’s director, Angela Haye.
A highlight of the evening was recollections of the Rotary members who went to HEI as part of last year’s outreach program. Hadden discussed one of his past projects in a rural school that reminded him of the rewards of working with indigent villagers. “One year, I worked with students and staff at a Masai school in Kenya, Africa, to rebuild a fence that had been torn down by elephants. Afterwards, we got together and painted it. It was a wonderful experience that taught me first hand that when you work together with people and not just tell them what to do, you create a real bond. At HEI, we still maintain that bond.”
Charlotte Bennett Schoen, sidelined by a leg injury and unable to attend the Oct. 17 soiree, relayed her story via email: “At HEI, we repainted the base of the main building and entry steps of the school. Included in our outreach group was a young Burmese emergency room doctor, Dr. Oakar Oo (who told students and our group to call him “Oo”). Oo had been working in Kingston Jamaica hospital for years. He helped the students paint and played soccer with them.
“Being able to ‘hang out’ with the students brought up meaningful interactions and conversations. They were responsive and engaging, open to the various concepts about which we spoke. This school has an exceptional and wonderful group of youngsters,” she said.
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All contributions and ticket sales from the soiree went to the purchase of the bus, and the Englewood Rotary Club covered all costs of the Oct. 17 Jamaican Soiree.
Photo by Hillary Viders