Two brothers, Robert White and Mark White saw their idea of a new foundation to assists inner-city communities, come to fruition last Wednesday, when the Sanmerna Foundation was succesfully launched at the Regional Headquarters Building at the University of the West Indies at Mona.

The atmosphere of the room was one of appreciation, hope and opportunity and the event was deemed a success as it saw a generous donation towards starting work on providing hope for the youth and elderly of inner-city communities, according to a Sanmerna press release.

Sanmerna Foundation Ltd is a non-profit organisation founded in 2015 by the White brothers to provide opportunities which will foster a sense of responsibility, commitment and positive hope to disadvantaged youths and the elderly for the future.

The Sanmerna Foundation supports grass-roots initiatives to uplift disadvantaged citizens by identifying projects that will encourage well-being among its beneficiaries and as such aims to provide not only hope but well-needed resources such as educational grants, sports facilities, and health facilities.

The highlight of the event was the number of donations on the night, including a donation of $2 million made by Sanmerna Paper Products Ltd Managing Director Robert White and Technical Director Mark White.

Other donors included the Townsend, Whyte & Porter Law Firm, Ambassador Pamela E Bridgewater and husband Russell Awkard, Ambassador Clelia Barreto de Hunter, Honorary Consul Ecuador- Jamaica who volunteered her time to teach Spanish at the Balmagie Primary School and Emprezz Golding who volunteered to give motivation talks with students whom the Foundation will serve. Additionally, Japan’s Ambassador Masanori Nakano, who brought greetings gave assurance that Japan will remain a friendly partner of the Sanmerna Foundation.

The mission of The Sanmerna Foundation is “Improving the Quality of Life through Education, Health and Sports”. The secondary focus of this non-profit organisation is to collect and distribute donations of food, clothing and financial resources on behalf of disadvantaged citizens primarily children and the elderly.

The ultimate vision is to provide hope for the Youths and Elderly of Inner-City Communities.