MONTEGO BAY, St James — Aiming to further cement Downsound Entertainment’s commitment to the people of Montego Bay, CEO of the company Joe Bogdanovich has donated $750,000 towards the back-to-school treats being spearheaded by Councillor Dwight Crawford (Jamaica Labour Party, Spring Garden Division).

Downsound Entertainment, the promoters of the annual Reggae Sumfest music festival held at Catherine Hall, a section of the Spring Garden Division, is thrilled to assist in acquiring school supplies for the children living in these communities, Bogdanovich said during a brief media presentation in Montego Bay last Wednesday.

“It means a lot because we really believe in giving back to the community. Reggae Sumfest has been here for 28 years and it is something that has been a part of Montego Bay,” Bogdanovich told the Jamaica Observer.

In accepting the donation, Councillor Crawford expressed gratitude to the Downsound Entertainment team for coming on board to assist his division.

Crawford stated that in acknowledging the pressure being faced by the parents in his division during this back-to-school season, he decided to host 11 treats targeting 100 children from each community.

The help received, Crawford explained, will go towards purchasing the remaining school supplies for more than 700 children.

“When I saw the need for assistance for the kids to go back to school, because the parents haven’t been working and things have been tough, I said how can I make this happen? I sat here and I wrote a letter to Robert Russell and asked if he could help me, along with Reggae Sumfest, to make contact with Joe who read the letter, saw the need and he dug right in,” the councillor explained.

“We are here today now celebrating his further commitment to the community of St James and the people of the Spring Garden Division. I am very grateful,” Crawford said.

For his part, deputy chairman of Downsound Entertainment Robert Russell told the Sunday Observer that he was proud to be a part of this initiative.

“I just want to congratulate Councillor Crawford on the initiative that he has embarked on to do these 11 treats for the children of St James because it is much-needed. We know the burdens that the parents are having in terms of rising through crisis and the difficulties to buy school books. So we really are applauding him for the effort and we want to support as many of the charities that we can for Montego Bay because this is the home of Reggae Sumfest and I am proud to be a part of this exercise today in handing over this cheque for $750,000,” Russell said.

Russell noted that this is just one of the ways in which the Reggae Sumfest brand has been committed to helping youths across the country.

“We also make sure that at every staging of Reggae Sumfest we introduce some new, young musical acts to give them that much-needed break and exposure for them to move into the industry because we recognise that the music is also an integral part of the community. It is also an opportunity for them to earn a living and some of them have gone on to become very successful,” Russell pointed out.

While reiterating his gratitude to the Downsound Entertainment team, Councillor Crawford is calling on other corporate entities to assist youths across the country.

“I want to thank them for investing in our future because we are going through a very tough time in Jamaica. The kids have been out of school for quite a few months now and they…need the support. I hope other corporate companies will follow the example by investing in the lives of our youth because this is what’s going to change our tomorrow,” he said.