ATLANTA – Jamaicans who were affected by the passage of Hurricane Ivan are to benefit from the donation of medication and relief supplies from Good Works International and the Neil O’Sullivan Foundation, two charity groups based in Atlanta, United States.

Sylvia Ashley, vice-president of Good Works International, made the announcement at the annual Atlanta/Montego Bay Sister Cities ‘Dance for Health Mission Ball’, held at the Atlanta Marriot Century Centre in Georgia on September 18.

Ashley said that the items, which would be airlifted to Jamaica within the next two weeks, were being supplied by a number of corporate companies throughout Atlanta and other parts of the United States.

Meanwhile, the Neil O’Sullivan Foundation, chaired by former ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young, has established a Caribbean Hurricane Relief Task Force to assist Jamaica and other Caribbean islands – Grenada, Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands – which were also affected by the passage of the hurricane.

Ambassador Young, who spoke at the function, said that after discussions with the administration of the Piney Woods School in Mississippi, it was agreed that students from that institution would be sent to Jamaica to help in the rebuilding process.

The tragedy of Hurricane Ivan, Young said, “reminds us that we cannot be at ease in Atlanta and turn our backs on the brothers and sisters anywhere in the world”.

The Jamaican community in Atlanta has also responded positively to the relief and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.

Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to Atlanta Vin Martin, in his address at the fundraising ball, said the consulate had established a Hurricane Ivan Relief Fund and so far more than US$10,000 had been collected.