In its drive to nurture youth potential, Kiwanis Club of West St Andrew (KCWSA) last Monday donated $25,000 to support Ardenne Prep School’s Lightning Drummers’ participation in the 27th World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA).

The championships, which began on Friday, June 28 in Hollywood, California, will run to July 7.

The donation to the Lightning Drummers is part of the Kiwanis club’s long-standing commitment to Ardenne Prep’s Builders Club, a Kiwanis Service Leadership Programme tailored for middle school and junior high students.

Through various initiatives over the years the KCWSA has helped to instil a sense of social responsibility among the young members.

Notable activities include beautification projects, such as painting the school’s picket fences — an endeavour that not only supplied paint and brushes, but also cultivated a sense of creativity and pride, while sharpening fine motor skills among the students.

Furthermore, the club has teamed with the Builders Club on leadership-building projects such as Bringing Christmas Cheer at Bustamante Hospital for Children in 2021, along with allowing the children to introduce guest speakers, give vote of thanks, and make presentations at the club’s meetings.

KCWSA President Jacqueline Bennett explained that the club’s dedication to the children’s empowerment is at the heart of activities that build creativity, teamwork, social responsibility, and self-confidence.

“At Kiwanis Club of West St Andrew we believe that investing in the children’s potential is essential to building solid leaders for the future. Over the years, our enduring relationship with the Ardenne Prep School Builders Club has focused heavily on leadership development and talent nurturing, in line with the Kiwanis mission of ‘Serving the children of the world’. We are proud to continue this tradition by aiding the Lightning Drummers’ journey to the WCOPA,” said Bennett.

The Lightning Drummers, multiple gold medallists in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission performing arts competition, are competing against top performers from around the globe at the prestigious WCOPA, often dubbed the Olympics of Performing Arts.

This competition attracts singers, dancers, instrumentalists, actors, models and variety of artistes from more than 70 licensed countries vying for medals, trophies, scholarships, and the coveted Grand Champion Performer of the World award.