GoodHeart | Christmas Joy for children: JYC, UWI Guild launches toy drive

The Jamaica Youth Chorale (JYC) and its senior ensemble, The Kingston Seventeen, have partnered with the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Guild External Affairs Committee (EAC) on a toy drive to bring hope and comfort to children affected by Hurricane Melissa. The initiative will benefit young patients at St Elizabeth Hospital, which also suffered significant infrastructure damage. The toy drive will be part of JYC’s Christmas Joy performances, scheduled for 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on December 21 at the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts on the UWI campus.

It’s evening showing will also be a benefit performance for The Caring for Miracles Foundation, founded by Dr Jillian Lewis, consultant neonatologist at the University Hospital of the West Indies, to raise additional funds for improving pre-term baby care in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

With its own Christmas performance schedule impacted by the hurricane, Greg Simms, founder and musical director of the JYC, said the Kingston shows have taken on added significance, providing an opportunity for people to come together in support of children, including the many now facing displacement, emotional distress and disruptions to their education and healthcare due to the hurricane.

“Hurricane Melissa disrupted the lives of thousands, including many children across western parishes. As a youth organisation, with members that were also impacted in some way, we believe we have a responsibility to respond in a meaningful way that supports the humanitarian efforts already taking place on-the-ground in these affected areas,” Simms said.

Just last month, the group used its platform in the Cayman Islands to raise awareness about the devastation caused by the hurricane in Jamaica and to bring hope, while encouraging donations for relief efforts being coordinated by local disaster agencies and charity organisations. For its signature Yuletide production, Simms is calling on attendees to “walk with a new toy” in support of the drive, highlighting that the initiative aligns closely with the group’s broader mission of using its talents to inspire, uplift and serve the community.

“Recovery is not just rebuilding and repairing infrastructure but also restoring hope and opportunities for those whose lives were upended. This toy drive, which we are undertaking with the UWI Guild EAC, is to help restore hope and bring holiday cheer to the children. The donations and positive engagement we hope will help enhance their experience in hospital and support their overall well-being,” he said.

Nickanya Brown-Patrick, UWI Mona Guild EAC chairperson, said the toy drive, which also involves UWI STAT, builds on the Guild’s ongoing relief work. The Guild partnered with JYC after learning of its plans through The Caring for Miracles Foundation, which they will also support at the evening benefit concert via their volunteer initiative, Army of Good.

“We’ve been collecting a lot of donations, and we’ve been on missions almost every week. We’ve been to St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny and St James. We are in our exam period now, but we wanted to do something for Christmas,” she explained.

While immediate relief is critical, initiatives like the toy drive also help vulnerable groups, especially children, recover emotionally and socially. The Guild has also been collecting toys on campus and will work with the chorale to sort and deliver them in time for the holidays.

“We want the children to feel a sense of normalcy as they have also experienced a traumatic event. I believe having people there to bring them joy, offer a toy and reassure them that things will return to normal is especially important during this Christmas season,” Brown-Patrick added.

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