DeepBlueRipple International Inc.
The following is a list of DeepBlueRipple International Service Projects and Community Events in Jamaica, some of which have been active since 2002. CHNY, LLC is a partner organization to ours and promotes awareness and raises support for our projects through concerts, events, and travel experiences.
If you find a project that inspires you, please contact us to find out how you can lend your support.
We greatly appreciate all those who have contributed their time, energy, resources, good spirit, and funding to our ventures.
- The 1st Annual Friends of The West End Kids Fair
This completely free, non-profit event on Feb 4th, 2008 was a HUGE success. Thanks to all the talent, love, energy, patience, and hardwork of our all volunteer crew for making this kick-off event so fantastic for everyone!
The goal of the Friends of The West End Kids Fair is to celebrate community and life through laughter, art, music and fun.
In addition to CHNY2K8 participants attending, enjoying and entertaining, many parents and adults of Divers Village came and contributed their talents, good spirits and resources. It was a day of cross cultural laughter, music and celebration.
Planned events included: live music, watercolor painting, kids tattoos, tie dye workshop, orgami workshop, face painting, harmonica & percussion workshops, frisbee, Hula Hoop, sidewalk chalk art, hacky sack, boomerang, soccer, Kazoo the Clown, and a kid-run Chinese Dragon parade that snaked through the neighborhood.
Artists, musicians, and volunteers from both America and Jamaica stepped forward with their services, talents and time. Donations such as art & activity supplies, and musical instruments made the event a success and allowed us to offer a wide range of activities. Please contact us if you would like to participate in the 2nd Annual Friends of the West End Kids Fair Sunday January 25th, 2009 by volunteering during the event, helping with planning, donating supplies, or providing funding.
- West Haven Children's Home for the Disabled
West Haven is located in Copse, in mountainous rural Jamaica about 1 hour from Montego Bay in Hanover Parish.
West Haven is one of the few state designated homes for mentally and physically handicapped children in Jamaica. Almost all the children living there are wards of the state.
80 residents currently live at West Haven, ranging from ages 4-38. Most of them spend their entire lives at West Haven once they are brought there at an average age of 3 years old.
West Haven's staff work tirelessly in understaffed conditions. A lack of funding and resources has lead to a shortage of even basic supplies such as towels, wet wipes, and diapers. Doctors and Dentists make regular visits but there are very few disability specialists on staff. Organized activities, ongoing physiotherapy, and educational instruction cannot be provided due to lack of staff. The children of West Haven desperately need therapeutic-based activities such as physical, educational, emotional, and occupational therapy; and art, music, and recreational activities accommodated to their special needs. In addition, there is much that can be modified in the cottages and surrounding grounds of West Haven to better accommodate to the children's specialized needs, particularly to stimulate and engage the bedridden children.
On Feb 5th, 2008 a group of 26 musicians arrived in a bus at West Haven to play music and interact with the children and to begin a DeepBlueRipple International project on the healing power of music. The visit was a tremendous success and the children of West Haven responded incredibly well to music, dance, and play. The therapeutic value of the project was immediately apparent, as many children came alive and immersed themselves in dancing, playing percussions, singing, and simply listening. Music was played in a general area for the children who were mobile or able to be wheeled out, and then the musicians moved minstrel-style through each housing facility and performed at the bedside of each child who was bedridden. DeepBlueRipple International plans to return to West Haven during CHNY2k9 on Thursday January 29th, 2009 for another interactive musical event with twice the amount of musicians, performers, and other warm hearted folks.
DeepBlueRipple International returned to West Haven the week of June 23-27, 2008 with a team of 17 consisting of disability specialists, educators, massage therapists, a chiropractor, an art therapist, musicians, caregivers, a documentary filmmaker and several young adults. The group built relationships and created laughter through specially tailored art, music, and recreational activities that accommodated to the special needs of the West Haven kids. The bedridden children participated in bedside art activities, bedside movement and play therapy, bedside games, received massage and chiropractic care; and were read stories and serenaded with live music. Negril Escape sent a truckload of workers from across the island to help improve the grounds. The men hand cut a defunct sugar cane field and tripled the size of the garden, cleared a play area with a jungle gym and made it wheelchair accessible, and made various needed building repairs. It was a huge success! Funds from the DeepBlueRipple Westhaven Benefit went towards the purchase of vegetable seeds and fertilizer for the new garden. There was a cake & ice cream party and live Reggae Mento music by The Overtakers. The kids of West Haven love to dance and the staff were equally as thrilled and joined in on the dance party! Thanks to the success of our supporters we were able to leave an enormous supply of therapuetic toys, recreational games, art supplies, musical instruments, educational DVDs, CDs, books, educational materials, garden supplies, and more. Nicholas Hunter of Hazen Hunter Photography documented the entire week and the photos can be viewed at www.westhaven.hazenhunter.com . DeepBlueRipple International, Inc. Executive Director Elana Himmelfarb took photo portraits of each child and in collaboration with the volunteer group constructed profiles on each West Haven resident. The profiles include their name, a portrait photo, and information on their likes & dislikes, specific needs, suggestions on what is soothing, art/music/play preferences and skills, and personality. This compilation of profiles will be sent to West Haven to be available to visitors and volunteers to facilitate and encourage bonding and relationship building with the children. The portraits will also be printed up, laminated, and hung over each resident's bed. The children absolutely loved the photos we gave them and will be thrilled to have their personal space marked by their very own photo! The wealth of information, depth of experience, and body of work that has emerged from this service project will not only help us understand the specific needs of each individual child but will also prove instrumental in designing future projects at West Haven. Most importantly this week forged and solidified bonds that will last a lifetime. art & music therapy, and learning to perform a more intensive needs assessment on how art, music and recreation can be used to improve the quality of the children's lives. DeepBlueRipple International will then design art, music and play projects based on the results of this assessment.
Please contact us if you are interested in providing funding, resources, or time to this very worthy cause.
- Rusea's High School Orchestra Instrument Drive
Principal Thompson, Mr. Lloyd Johnson, JP of Hanover Parish and DeepBlueRipple International have teamed up to help Rusea's High School attain their first student orchestra.
The drive started with a bang, with both CHNY and Feat Fan Excursion attendees donating a generous supply of quality band instruments. On February 12, 2008 DeepBlueRipple International delivered the first installment of donated instruments: 2 flutes, 3 clarinets, 1 tenor saxophone, 1 trombone, 2 acoustic guitars, 28 recorders with instruction book, 2 trumpets, and 1 drum. The instruments will be used for student instruction and well maintained by the Music Department at Rusea's High School. The students were so excited to see the first wave of instruments arrive, that they spontaneously broke into a group sing-a-long of Bob Marley's One Love!
DeepBlueRipple International looks forward to a continuing collaboration with The Feat Fan Excursion to complete this inspiring project. Thank you to everyone who generously contributed!
For a list of needed instruments, please contact us.
- Diver's Village Girls Club
This program was developed by West End Negril resident Laura Dewar to help support, empower and inspire teenage girls in the impoverished West End Negril neighborhood informally called Divers Village. The DVGC girls range from age 12-16 and there are approximately 30 members. Membership is free. Goals of the DVGC are to help young women develop self-respect, self-esteem, and empowerment through exposure to homework support, small enterprise activities, service projects, support group meetings, health information and mentorship. The overall goal of DVGC is also to steer young women towards making positive life goals and wise life choices.
To support the Divers Village Girls Club and teach them an example of projects that can raise funds for their group, DeepBlueRipple International coordinated a pizza sale and the girls baked and delivered them to guests at Negril Escape during the week of CHNY2K8.
On February 14, 2008 DeepBlueRipple International proudly donated an enormous quantity of art and educational activities, art supplies, coloring books, recreational equipment and more to the DVGC so that they have ample resources to plan their weekly activities for the upcoming year.
The Divers Village Girls Club welcomes ongoing donations of time, resources, and funding so please contact us if you are interested.
- Tia Mandolin Project COMPLETED February 2008
Tia, 15, is a fantastically talented singer and musician whom the CHNY Gecko Family met when she was just 8. Tia sings like a powerhouse and performs with her family's band, The Overtakers.
At CHNY2k7 musician Mark Schimick of Larry Keel and Natural Bridge handed Tia his mandolin and without ever having played one before, she made it sing! This generous musician collaborated with DeepBlueRipple International to raise the funds to surprise Tia with her very own mandolin on stage during a Feat Fan event at The Grand Lido on February 4, 2008 during CHNY2k8. On March 3, 2008 DeepBlueRipple International received the final donation needed to cover the costs of Tia's mandolin. Thanks to all the generous folks who helped make this project a success and make Tia's dream come true!
- School & Art Supplies, Books, and Backpacks
For the last six years CHNY participants have brought a child's packpack full of school supplies, art supplies, and 2 of their favorite children's books. Thanks to the generosity of all those who stuffed their suitcases, our efforts reached hundreds of children who received much needed tools to learn and explore life.
This year the donation drop off center was located at Negril Escape Resort & Spa. To thank the staff for hosting CHNY2k8 Gecko Family Package guests, each employee received a backpack filled with books and school & art supplies for their children. A year's supply of school materials, educational materials, books, and art supplies were donated to Green Island High School and Middle School, Negril All-Ages School, and individual children who are homeschooled or in need of supplies and backpacks.
For detailed information on the phenomenal success of the CHNY2k8 and the Feat Fan Excursion donation drives, please contact us.
- Sustainable Community Tourism
CHNY and DeepBlueRipple International practice and support responsible and sustainable tourism.
Sustainable Tourism aims to preserve, strengthen, and promote tourism-based business practices that support the host country's economic, cultural and environmental needs.
Over the last 6 years we have forged strong ties with the community tourism based businesses in and around the West End of Negril. We actively support, market, and guide our participants to use those local businesses that use sustainable tourism practices.
There have been several individually and group driven projects over the last six years that have supported local West End Jamaican cottage business through donations of funds & resources.
All CHNY participants received an informational packet before their trip which included extensive information on sustainable tourism and offered guidelines for responsible tourism practices
Past and present collaborations with local businesses include: Elvis and Laura's Positive Vibrations, Ras Rody's Ital Catering and Soup Stand, Felix's Serious Chicken Restaurant, Brother Boy & Gracie's cakes and hot peppers, Quinn's wicker and vegan food stand, Linden & Carline's Rough House restaurant and products, Ali's fruit stand and patties, Dimitri Rose's fire performances, Richard's paintings, Knacka's CDs, The Legendary Overtakers' music, Ann's lodging, Josephine's lodging, Alice's Restaurant, Juliet's Sharks Restuarant, Floyd's music and ground support, and many more.
Principal Thompson of Rusea's High School has requested our help in the building of a recreation center for its high school students.
If you are interested in helping, please contact us.
- Past projects and events (2002-present)
Research study at Rusea's High School to assess High School age awareness, understanding, and perspectives of the tourism industry and tourists. 2006
Rusea's High School Assembly on Cultural Preservation and Sustainable Tourism by Libre Brousseau, with performance by musical guest Ras Alan. 2006
Backpacks, school supplies and books to Rusea's High School, St. Paul's Middle School, and Negril All-Ages School. 2002-2007
Magnifying eyeglass drive for the elderly. 2003-present
Visited students at Rusea's Middle & High School campuses to tour librairies & classrooms and spoke with teachers; visited student based Cultural Preservation Center; met with school administration at Rusea's to discuss resource needs and Jamaican educational issues and concerns. 2006
Children's School Shoe Drive. 2002-present
Women's Toiletries Drive. 2007-present
