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 provide financial assistance to building future community leaders. Please join our upcoming Virtual Leadership Development and Scholarship Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 – 8:30 p.m,
Scholarships will be awarded to students of Jamaican heritage attending colleges or universities in Jamaica and the United States. Students must reside in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area and in Jamaica. These scholarships will 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 October awards and urgently need your financial support to meet our 2023 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/education.
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 using PayPal; 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, Program 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,
Student Outreach and Education Chair
