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JSSE and the Consulate of Philadelphia Sign Letter of Intent to Seek Funding for Alpha

The Jamaica Social Stock Exchange (JSSE) and the Consulate of Philadelphia signed a Letter of Intent to seek funding for the Alpha Institute to allow the school to be listed on the JSSE. The signing took place on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at the Jamaica Stock Exchange’s Multipurpose Building at 38A Harbour Street, Kingston.

Mrs. Marlene Street Forrest, Managing Director of the JSE, speaking at the function stated, “We appreciate your coming to witness the signing of the Letter of Intent on Cooperation between the Consular Representation in Philadelphia, USA and the Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) and the Jamaica Social Stock Exchange, which seeks to propel funding and support for the Social Stock Exchange in general but specifically, Alpha School of Music. This is an institution that has touched every Jamaican in some way through music, past, present and we expect, in the future. Through the JSSE, we hope that social donors will participate in the future growth and sustainability of this noble organization.”

Philadelphia’s Honorary Consul Christopher Chaplin stated that there were a notable number of persons in the Jamaican Diaspora who wanted to assist with funding for Alpha and that, in addition to his Office, New York’s Consul General Alsion Roach, and Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador Audrey Marks, were keen to assist with the project and Jamaica on a whole. He further stated that in the MOU which would be signed later, there were specific targets that the Philadelphia Consulate intended to achieve.

Professor Neville Ying, Chairman of the JSSE and former Executive Director of the Jamaica Diaspora Institute, stated that the genesis for the signing of the Letter of Intent occurred at the Diaspora Conference held in Kingston in 2019, where the JSSE was highlighted and the Honorary Consul of Philadelphia was in attendance and saw the need to assist the Alpha Institute. Professor Ying said that apart from remittances, the main focus of the Diaspora are health and education and Alpha falls very smugly into this and he expects that the Diaspora would work hard to assist in generating funding for the Alpha Institute and the JSSE by extension.

Permanent Secretary of Ministry Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Ambassador Marcia Yvette Gilbert-Roberts, stated that the Embassies wanted to assist Jamaica as they are committed to build their country. Ambassador Gilbert-Roberts congratulated the Honorary Consul Christopher Chaplin on the bold initiative that he was taking in assisting the Alpha Institute. She further stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade was committed to dealing with huge projects which would benefit and move Jamaica forward.

Sister Suzan Frazer thanked the Honorary Consul, the JSSE and the Ministry for the assistance that is being afforded to Alpha Institute as this is a welcome effort, because they would assist boys at Alpha that are already at risks and could fall through the cracks at any time. She further stated that Alpha Institute meets the needs of the boys where they are and shape them into respectable men of society. Therefore, any assistance that can help in their upliftment is quite welcome and appreciated.

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NEVILLE ELLIS
JAMAICA STOCK EXCHANGE
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