We would like to extend a warm thank you to the kind support of actress and producer Lorraine Toussaint. She has not only signed up to attend our 5k Run/Walk this year, but was gracious enough to offer her personal endorsement of our cause in the Caribbean!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvFroq_cey0

Want to help out? It’s easy!  Just share this video on your Facebook page and help us get the word out!

Thank you for your support,

Children of The Caribbean Foundation

Randy Jackson with wife Erika Jackson

American Idol Judge – Randy Jackson, continues to support Children of the Caribbean Foundation by his generous sponsorship of the EVERY CHILD MATTERS 5K Run/Walk. His wife Erika Jackson is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation.

Are you going come out and show your support on June 16th???

Get registered today and be entered to win a cruise!

http://caribbeanchild.com/how-to-get-involved/register-for-this-years-5k/

One of the goals of Embrace the Struggle (ETS) is to shed light on causes and individuals, especially women, who are making a difference in communities throughout the world.  What better way to begin ETS’s interview series than by catching up with a compatriot who has not forgotten her roots!

Rosie Hodge-Adams is a fellow Kittitian-Nevisian now living in Los Angeles who, along with her husband, Julien, has spearheaded a nonprofit organization, Children of the Caribbean, that provides support in the areas of education, health care, and social development to causes throughout the Caribbean.

As Executive Director of COTC, Rosie has been able to secure endorsements for COTC from celebrities such as Nia Long, Stacey Dash, Blair Underwood, and Eric Close.  Her organization counts among its sponsors Ziggy Marley’s Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment (URGE), the Conrad Hilton Foundation, and ONE Coconut Water.

I know that her heart for bringing lasting change to the lives of young people in the Caribbean will strike a chord with you!

You can listen to the entire interview on ETS’s blogtalkradio station, but check out some excerpts below.

Alison:  What is the main focus of COTC?  Is it education, is it health, or is it more a general well-roundedness of young people?
Rosie:  We focus on three areas:  education, health care, and social development.  We try to do as much as we can in each of those areas.  As the requests come up, we try to fulfill those requests as best we can.  I think there isn’t one area that we put more emphasis on than the next.

Alison:  One of the areas that interested me was the Cyril Ross Nursery.  Perhaps you can share a little bit about how you guys got involved there.

Rosie:  The Cyril Ross Nursery is our first major attempt at assisting children in our health care area.  Wendy Fitzwilliams  is a member of our board of directors, and she’s from Trinidad.  When she won the Miss Universe [title] in 1998, well, before she actually entered the show, Cyril Ross was one of those organizations that she, growing up in the church, she and her parents would always visit and volunteer at, so it was sort of natural after she had become a representative for Miss Universe and in fact won the title to take the home under her wing.  She was very instrumental in getting medication to the children.  And so the whole Cyril Ross notion was close to our hearts because of her.
When I visited them last summer, I was really, really saddened by the environment.  The children had beautiful smiles.  Girl, Ali, they were happy children!  Looking at them, you couldn’t tell that they were AIDS patients or HIV positive.  Lots of energy, they looked healthy, they looked really good!

But the home was very dilapidated.  It’s a private-run institution managed by the [Society of] St. Vincent de Paul, through the Catholic Church, and they do their best.  They do really, really well because all the money that they receive is put into these kids.  Now they’re getting assistance.  They have basically taken these kids on and made these children their own children.  And so they have done really, really well.

But the little things… I’m sure any parent would choose to feed their child rather than fix the roof, so that’s where we stepped in.  Versus buying sheets for the bed, they put shoes on their feet, and so the plan is to make their lives just a little bit more comfortable.  We decided to step up, and we got immense support from people here in Los Angeles and all over, as a matter of fact!

Alison:  Excellent!  Tell us a bit about that support.  Where do you find most of your support coming from?
Rosie:  Because we’re fundraising locally here in California, over 90 percent of the support comes from our local California communities, and organizations such as the Hilton Foundation.

You start something like this, Alison, and you have no idea who’s going to buy in and who’s going to help you and how far you’re going to be able to go.  And people start asking you for things and you want to tell everybody “yes,” but you have to be careful not to… you know?  But the support has been amazing!
One of our board members has a very close relationship with the previous owners of the Hilton Hotel group, and she contacted Mr. Hilton, and he was just “Yes, yes, yes, Marsha!” [Laughter.]
Alison:  That’s the beauty of it!
Rosie:  Yeah, Ziggy Marley just came on board and his wife Orly.  She’s lovely, she wants to be more involved.  She has an organization called URGE, but of course he’s super busy with doing the biography movie of his dad, Bob Marley, and he’ll be travelling.  He’s already started his tour and his new CD release, but he promised later in the year to be more involved and hands on with us and the work we do across the Caribbean.

Alison: You guys have something coming up in June, don’t you?  You have a fundraiser in June.
Rosie:  We’re having what we are trying to make our signature event, our 5K run/walk in June at Loyola Marymount University.  Last year the proceeds from the run/walk went to providing education supplies for children in the Caribbean.  This year we’re anticipating a larger crowd, more participants, more sponsors. There’s more buy-in, for sure, and so we want to do more with the monies that we raise.
There’s a hospital in Saint Lucia that was destroyed by fire, and we have committed to providing them things for their neonatal ward–incubators and things like that.  Of course, a brand new organization such as ours has extremely limited resources, and so we raise enough money through the run/walk so that we can provide incubators.
We have friends also on the medical side who have offered us equipment.  We have now become a friend of Medtronics, and hopefully we’re gonna tap them to see if we can get some beds for the pediatric wing.
So the run/walk is really a very important fundraiser for us this year.  Not only do we use it to spread the word about the foundation and what it does by having such a large gathering of people, but we’re going to use the funds to push our education/back-to-school drive and help other areas that really need help: child care, health care, and social development.
Listen to the full interview on ETS’s blogtalkradio station for more details on the genesis of Children of the Caribbean, its scholarship program, and how you can contribute/participate.

Los Angeles, CA – March 16, 2012 – Children of the Caribbean Foundation, Inc. (“COTC”) is pleased to announce that Ziggy Marley’s Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment (U.R.G.E.) is a sponsor of the2^nd Annual fundraising and awareness event “Every Child Matters 5K Run-Walk” to be held on June 16, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. at Loyola Marymount University Campus.

“We are pleased to have Ziggy and his organization as a sponsor for this event. U.R.G.E. and COTC have compatible goals as we are both raising funds to provide educational support, supplies and health services to children who reside in Caribbean. Ziggy, the son of the legendary artist, Bob Marley, has committed to giving back through U.R.G.E, which seeks to make enduring contributions to the lives of children in Jamaica, Africa, and throughout the world. Our goals are naturally aligned and we look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship.” says Rosie Hodge-Adams, Executive Director of COTC.

“EVERY CHILD MATTERS 5K Run-Walk” is a USATF sanctioned event and will raise funds to support and nurture the lives of underprivileged youth in the Caribbean in the area of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development. All qualified registrants are eligible to win a Caribbean Cruise for two. Online registration and the official rules for the drawing are available at www.caribbeanchild.com and www.active.com/running/los-angeles-ca/every-child-matters-5k-run-walk-2012

About U.R.G.E

Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment (U.R.G.E.) is a charitable organization founded by Ziggy Marley. U.R.G.E acts to support education, health and the environment, in efforts to improve the communities where children live and grow. U.R.G.E.provides assistance and resources that enable communities to develop and self-sustain and seeks to raise awareness on current events, social developments and political landscapes which affect children. www.ziggymarley.com

ABOUT Children of the Caribbean

COTC is a registered non-profit organization. Although COTC’s primary mandate is to provide assistance to youth in the Caribbean in the areas of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development, the foundation has realized that there is a great need in many other areas. Accordingly, since then the foundation decided to extend its reach and also provided food and support to homeless children in the Los Angeles area.

For More Information Contact: Lawnie Grant – COTC

lawnie@caribbeanchild.com

310.651.8317 ext 600

U.R.G.E. Contact:

Michelle Rodriguez

michelle@tuffgongworldwide.com

310-274-2440

Los Angeles, CA – March 23, 2012 – Children of the Caribbean Foundation, (“COTC”) wishes to thank the Conrad Hilton Foundation for its generous grant in support of its work with the Cyril Ross SVP Nursery for Pediatric HIV/AIDS in Trinidad.

“We are extremely grateful to the Conrad Hilton Foundation (www.hiltonfoundation.org) for the generous donation it made to our foundation in December in support of our work with the Cyril Ross Nursery. It has allowed us to greatly improve the facility and patient care conditions for these fragile children living with HIV/AIDS. There is still some more work to be done, including furnishing beds and linens as well as other needs, but this donation helped us to commence construction on the expansion of the facility” says Rosie Hodge-Adams, Executive Director of COTC.

The Cyril Ross Nursery for HIV positive/AIDS infected children was started in September 1994 with three (3) children. Today, the nursery is home to thirty-five children. Their ages range from birth to 2 years. Initially, the focus of the nursery was to provide children infected with HIV/AIDS with a place where they can spend their last days in comfort and die with dignity. In 1997, a decision was made to offer, on a limited basis, antiretroviral therapy for two (2) of the children. This initiative was a source of inspiration to expand the access of these new drugs to other children.

This year COTC is hosting their 2^nd Annual “EVERY CHILD MATTERS”, a USATF sanctioned event to raise additional funds. All registered participants who have an official race number are eligible to win a Caribbean Cruise for two. Online registration is available at www.caribbeanchild.com and www.active.com/running/los-angeles-ca/every-child-matters-5k-run-walk-2012

ABOUT Children of the Caribbean

COTC is a registered non-profit organization. Although COTC’s primary mandate is to provide assistance to youth in the Caribbean in the areas of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development, the foundation has realize that there is a great need in many other areas. In 2011 the foundation decided to extend its reach and also provided food and support to homeless children in the Los Angeles area.

 For More Information Contact: Lawnie Grant – Children of the Caribbean

ECM@caribbeanchild.com

310.651.8317 ext 600

Progress continues to move forward on the much needed renovations to the Cyril Ross nursery. We are happy to provide you with some brand new updates from the project that you helped to make possible!

Los Angeles, CA – February 29, 2012 – Children of the Caribbean Foundation, Inc. (“COTC”) is pleased to announce that O.N.E. Coconut Water is now the official drink of their 2^nd Annual fundraising and awareness event “Every Child Matters 5K Run-Walk” to be held on June 16, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. at Loyola Marymount University Campus.

“Having O.N.E. Coconut Water as the official drink of this event was a no-brainer. First, Coconut trees and Coconut Water are synonymous with the Caribbean and, as we are raising funds to provide educational support and supplies to children who reside in Caribbean, we thought it would be a good idea to bring the flavor of the Caribbean to this year’s event. Second, O.N.E’s commitment to promoting health and well-being and its mission to get people to “Move, Drink, Give”, is naturally aligned with the goals of our foundation. Having O.N.E Coconut Water as a supportive partner, helps us to bring the flavor of the Caribbean to this fun event and to do just that – Move, Drink, Give” says Rosie Hodge-Adams, Executive Director of the Children of the Caribbean Foundation. The “EVERY CHILD MATTERS – 5K Run/Walk” will raise funds to support and nurture the lives of underprivileged youth in the Caribbean in the area of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development. All proceeds from the run-walk will directly impact the daily lives of youth in the Caribbean and Los Angeles and pay for textbooks, backpacks and school supplies, scholarships and examination fees in support of COTC’s educational services and support our existing outreach programs.

“EVERY CHILD MATTERS” is a USATF sanctioned 5k-race course. All participants must register to receive an official race number and to be eligible to win a Caribbean Cruise for two. Online registration is available at www.caribbeanchild.com and www.active.com/running/los-angeles-ca/every-child-matters-5k-run-walk-2012

About O.N.E. Coconut Water

O.N.E. Coconut Water is the premier, all-natural beverage company established in 2005 by Brazilian-born entrepreneur Rodrigo Veloso. Their award winning coconut water is fast-becoming recognized as America’s Healthiest Beverage - providing enhanced hydration (with all five essential electrolytes) for people of all ages.

In keeping with its commitment to promoting health and well-being – for people and planet – O.N.E.

Coconut Water launched the Liquid Revolution to catalyze a movement to engage people to MOVE.

DRINK. GIVE. and to make a difference through the choices they make. Giving is core to ONE founder and CEO Rodrigo Veloso and integral to the company’s mission. O.N.E. recently announced the launch the O.N.E. World Fund, through which it intends to support communities where they source and sell O.N.E. products. O.N.E. Coconut Water is available in over 18,000 retail outlets including Whole Foods Market, Publix, Kroger Stores, Safeway, 7 Eleven, Cost Plus World Markets, Vitamin Shoppe and on Amazon.com.

ABOUT Children of the Caribbean

COTC is a registered non-profit organization. At its inception, the foundation provided backpacks and school supplies to disadvantaged children on the island of Anguilla. Although COTC’s primary mandate is to provide assistance to youth in the Caribbean in the areas of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development, the foundation has realize that there is a great need in many other areas. According, since then the foundation has also provided the National Children’s Home in Dominica with enough cereal to feed their orphaned children for one year. In Grenada, the foundation is assisting the Grenada Emergency Shelter, which functions as a home to girls removed from their families by providing personal items, such as clothing and toiletries etc. The foundation has also provided clothing and household supplies (shower curtains, table cloths, and dishes) to HIV positive children who reside at the Cyril Ross SVP Nursery in Trinidad. In 2011 the foundation decided to extend its reach and also provided food and support to homeless children in the Los Angeles area.

 For More Information Contact: Lawnie Grant – Children of the Caribbean

ECM@caribbeanchild.com

or lawnie@caribbeanchild.com

310.651.8317 ext 600

O.N.E. Media Contact: Lucy Rendler-Kaplan

lucy@onedrinks.com

310.802.4228

Run * Walk * Support * Win* at the 2nd Annual Children of the Caribbean Foundation’s “Every Child Matters – 5K Run/Walk”

Los Angeles, CA – February 20, 2012 – Children of the Caribbean Foundation, Inc. (“COTC”) announces its 2nd Annual fundraising and awareness event “Every Child Matters 5K Run-Walk”, to raise funds to support and nurture the lives of underprivileged youth in the Caribbean in the area of education (supplies and scholarships), health and development. All proceeds from the run-walk will directly impact the daily lives of youth in the Caribbean and Los Angeles and pay for medical examinations, textbooks, backpacks and school supplies in support of COTC’s back-to-school outreach initiative.

 Who: Children of the Caribbean Foundation, Inc.

What: COTC and its board of directors host this event to elevate awareness of the challenges faced by youth in the Caribbean islands. Each year hundreds of thousands of youth are plagued by poverty and disease. COTC’s mission is to provide relief and assistance to disadvantaged children across the Caribbean in the areas of education, healthcare and social development. The run-walk is one of many events planned to raise funding to support the organization’s mission.

“EVERY CHILD MATTERS” is a USATF sanctioned event. All participants must register to receive an official race number. Online registration is available at www.caribbeanchild.com and www.active.com/running/los-angeles-ca/every-child-matters-5k-run-walk-2012

ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS FOR THE RUN/WALK ARE ELIGIBLE TO WIN A CARIBBEAN CRUISE FOR TWO

When: Saturday, June 16, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.

Where: Loyola Marymount University – Lawton Plaza (Library Amphitheater), 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA.

COTC is a registered non-profit organization. At its inception, the foundation provided backpacks and school supplies to disadvantaged children on the island of Anguilla. Since then the foundation has also provided the National Children’s Home in Dominica with enough cereal to feed their orphaned children for one year. In Grenada, the foundation is assisting the Grenada Emergency Shelter, which functions as a home to girls removed from their families by providing personal items, such as clothing and toiletries etc. The foundation has also provided clothing and household supplies (shower curtains, table cloths, and dishes) to HIV positive children who reside at the Cyril Ross SVP Nursery in Trinidad. In 2011 the foundation decided to extend its reach and also provided food and support to homeless children in the Los Angeles area.

COTC has an impressive list of supporters and board members who support the non-profit including Actress and board member Nia Long, Actor Eric Close (Without a Trace) and Actor Blair Underwood.

For More Information Contact: Lawnie Grant

ECM@caribbeanchild.com or lawnie@caribbeanchild.com

310.651.8317 ext 600

We just received the latest update regarding the Cyril Ross Nursery Renovation Project.

Below is the progress report from the project contractor Damion Marcellin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2y1pE3yn6M

We are happy to officially announce that construction has begun at the Cyril Ross Nursery on Trinidad and Tobago!

It is our hope that the kids who live at the Nursery wouldn’t simply have a better home to live in when the construction is over, but that each one of us would do our part to make this world a better place for the kids at Cyril Ross – in fact for everyone! Let’s heal the world!

Look forward to more updates on the progress of the new construction coming soon!

Thanks again for all of your support!  With out you this project just would not be a possibility.