ORVILLE Burrell, popularly known as Shaggy, is a renowned international recording artiste who has sold millions of albums, topped several Billboard charts and received countless accolades in his career thus far.

Despite all the fame and glory, Shaggy has maintained a great sense of humility.

“Weh deh fi hype bout?” he asked. “The difference with me is that I write some songs and then sing them. What really separates me from the other person is that I’m incredibly driven. I’ve seen people come before me and have gone and I’m still here. I’ve met some of the biggest stars, queens, you name them, but a man is just a man. If you can go your bed with a clean conscience, while being a force to be reckoned with, that’s what really matters. You have to look at it as a sacrifice, that you were chosen, and think about how your craft affects other people’s life.”

Accordingly, Shaggy has also taken on the role of philanthropist, going the extra mile for the cause of charity.

At the beginning of this year (January 3), he hosted the first annual Shaggy and Friends ‘I Dare You’ concert on the lawns of Jamaica House in Kingston. The proceeds for this fund-raiser were in aid of the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Shaggy can be considered one of Jamaica’s most distinguished philanthropists based on his generous contributions to charity organisations over the years.

But what made him take on such an initiative? “Impulse,” he responded, “charity is just an impulsive thing for me.” He has held treats on a yearly basis, donated specialised machines, such as ventilators and sterilisers, made monetary donations, repainted rooms and provided several other assistance to the children’s hospital throughout the years.

It was one incident in particular, however, that influenced his decision to make a pledge to the hospital. He relayed that upon visiting the child of a close friend at the hospital he met a nine-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the head, struggling for her life on the machine he had donated. This is a humbling experience that would probably warm the heart of anyone in his position, to which he responds, “If I take you to the hospital you will leave and ask what you can do to help.”

The Bustamante Hospital for Children is not just the only paediatric hospital in Jamaica that caters to the specialised treatment and health service, but the only paediatric hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Unfortunately there is an overwhelming lack of resources, both human and capital, available to the institution which hinders its ability to provide the necessary services needed to save lives. However, in many Third-World countries like Jamaica, the essential resources to ensure this is not readily available, be it from the private or public sector. Clearly this is a problem.

“It’s a Jamaican thing,” he stated, “and I’m in the position to make a difference. Everybody, no matter how young or old, has a Bustamante story. So instead of trying to patch the problem, we need to fix it.”

Shaggy has decided to help safeguard the preservation of the hospital and by extension the youths of the nation. A job which he acknowledges cannot be done by him alone.

This is where the “Shaggy and Friends: I Dare You” concert comes into play. Shaggy went about forming a foundation dubbed ‘The Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation’, which aims at raising funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

“It’s just one of dem tings that you just have to make up your mind. Failure is not an option,” he remarked. “You have to go out and seek it, pretty much beg it, sell the charity, sell the cause and get these people on board.”

‘These people’, to whom he refers, are the sponsors of the event, such as Sagicor, Digicel, TVJ, The Jamaica Observer, Air Jamaica, Bank of Nova Scotia, The Jamaica Pegasus and several others, who have helped to make the event successful.

Along with these sponsors are musicians who provide their services free of charge to which Shaggy mentions appreciatively, “they give us their time during the Christmas and New Year period, which is a high season, so I think they are doing a tremendous job”.

He told TEENage that a lot of sacrifices are being made, but people try to give whatever they can, whether cash or kind, and it is something that he definitely feels good about. The analogy of digging 50 holes one-foot deep as opposed to digging one hole 50 feet deep was used by the artiste to emphasise the practicality of everyone coming together as a unified force.

So far, the charity has brought in almost US$500,000, the lion’s share of which was raised by the concert, along with the aid of events such as the Shakti Love Fest, the Sigma Run and donations from other large corporations.

“We have a needs list which is US$2,000,000 worth of equipment needed to put the hospital up to par. So, when I reach that goal I can say that my goal has been met. It’s not that I will just stop helping out, but I will still be doing whatever I can.”

So, on Saturday, January 2, 2010, Shaggy and a new set of ‘Friends’ will host the Thank You for Daring to Care concert on the lawns of Jamaica House yet again.

So what should we expecte at next year’s Shaggy and Friends? First, the line-up of ‘Friends’ this year includes the likes of Beenie Man, Ding-Dong, Alaine, Ce’Cile, Tanya Stephens, Queen Ifrica, Michael Rose, Toots Hibbert and many more.

In terms of the categorical ticket contributions, Shaggy explained that, “Last year we had a silver ticket, gold ticket and platinum ticket, which each offered different things. We have now added a diamond section, which includes a six-course meal, where the patrons will be seated on their own platform with full access to food and drinks all night, white-glove style.” Similar to last year, there will be an auction. There will also be a pledge booth where patrons can donate something extra if they please.

TEENage challenges you all to join this noble gesture. We dare you to take a stand for our generation and those to come. Shaggy has started, we dare you to finish.