Dear  Members, Friends & Supporters:

Re:  Financial Assistance for College and University Students of Jamaican Heritage

 The Jamaican Nationals Association of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area (JNA) is seeking your  financial support for our Student Outreach and Educational Support (SOES) Program which provides scholarships to Jamaicans.  The program and our scholarships provides financial assistance to building future  community leaders.  Please join our upcoming Virtual Fundraising Campaign on Saturday, September 10, 6:00 – 7:30 PM, 2022.

 Scholarships will be awarded virtually on Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM and  are  offered to students of Jamaican heritage attending colleges or universities in the Washington DC Metropolitan area, and Jamaica.  These scholarships  assist them with expenses associated with their educational endeavors, such as books, supplies,  and small personal needs.   Studies have shown that  many students find  it extremely difficult to meet these types of expenses, which are often not covered by other resources focused on tuition and boarding. The pandemic has served to compound this situation.

In developing our SOES Program, JNA recognizes three important things: 

  • First, that Jamaicans in the diaspora are often  identified as  possessing leadership characteristics.  We believe these  characteristics can serve as a foundation for  building effective leaders.  Accordingly, our SOES Program targets developing effective leadership and communication skills while providing networking and mentoring  opportunities for these students; 
  • Second, we know that effective leadership is a learned-skill, and we encourage students to volunteer and learn while doing good; 
  • Third, we recognize that JNA owes much to the activism of student leaders  as it was founded by Jamaican students attending Howard University in Washington DC over 50 years ago.

 We are excited about our November awards and urgently need your financial support to meet our 2022 goal of raising $25,000 – $50,000.  We accept any amount of your donation.  All donations will be recognized as described in our Sponsorship & Donation Form available at https://www.jnaofdc.org.

 We hope you will consider this request to help us meet our financial goals.  JNA is a  501(c)(3) tax exempt, non-profit organization, and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed under the IRS regulations.  Donations are accepted: 1) on our website via credit card payment; 2) Zelle account:  info@jnaofdc.org; and 3) by checks payable to Jamaican Nationals Association, mailed to P.O. Box 56453, Washington DC 20040.

 If you have any questions about the SOES Program, please feel free to contact Jennifer Asher, Committee Chair at (202) 250-4521 or send an email to: info@jnaofdc.org.

Thank you for your financial assistance and support of this worthy educational fundraiser.


Sincerely,