DESPITE the fact that swathes of Jamaicans in the south- and north-western belts are still clawing their way back to normality after the major upset wreaked by Hurricane Melissa last October, head of the island’s premier race management company, Running Events Jamaica, Alfred “Frano” Francis is confident there will be a strong contingent of those citizens when the starter’s gun goes off at the 28th Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run on February 15.

“There’s a substantial amount of persons who come [each year] from right across all parishes in Jamaica. From as far as Westmoreland, Hanover, there are a lot of persons who come and I know that they will still come. They will still come because the Sigma event is such a wonderful cause. It has a sincerity of purpose,” said Francis, the brain behind the company that helps Sagicor execute the road race which has become a staple.

Speaking at this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange at the newspaper’s Corporate Area offices, Francis said the event might just be the antidote Hurricane Mellissa survivors need.

“The ‘feel-good’ that you get from being a part of it, knowing that you’re a part of this wonderful cause that really changes and stabilises, it’s a great feeling. And people need that feeling now in this time of despair. I can’t quantify it in terms of [the number of people from the west who participated annually in the past], but there’s a substantial amount of persons… I will try and extract that going forward,” Francis, the race director, told Observer editors and reporters.

Through the run Sagicor aims to raise $150 million to help repair five hurricane-affected schools in western Jamaica — Salt Marsh Primary, Mayfield Primary and Infant, Hopewell High, Green Pond High, and Little London High.

Since its inception, the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run has raised more than $878 million in support of health, child-focused, education-based initiatives across Jamaica.

On Monday, Christopher Zacca, president and chief executive officer of Sagicor Group Jamaica and chairman of Sagicor Foundation Jamaica, said he believed those Jamaicans will still show up simply for the cause.

“What we’re expecting is that [they will participate] because of the real need for these schools and the psyche of us coming out of that terrible hurricane and wanting to do something. One of the things that we saw in our own team members right after the hurricane is, how can I jump in and help somebody somewhere? And we feel that that will bring others who may not have participated in the past to the table,” Zacca said.

“We sign up about one per cent of the whole population of Jamaica. So, that will tell you that normally, across every parish, we would have many, many people come,” he added.

In the meantime, Sagicor Vice-President of Communications, Digital Media and Corporate Social Responsibility Nicole Campbell Robinson said, given the magnitude of the blow to schools and the needs of students, the corporate giant is going even further afield to drum up support to not just meet but exceed the target.

“We are looking at ways to expand outside of the US and Canada and the UK. That may not come on-stream this year, but we are definitely going back on-board with our partners in the US and Canada. We did really, really well last year. We got a lot of support. As you know, Sagicor Financial Company has an office in Canada, and so they were able to really rally some additional support for us. And there is a growing interest, I would say, in terms of how persons outside of Jamaica can get involved. So, we’re definitely continuing that,” Campbell Robinson said.

“There’s a huge diaspora push this year, even greater than last year. We know that we’ll have to look at other avenues extensively, because we may not be able to count on the participation of some of our brothers and sisters in the west,” Campbell Robinson added.

She, in the meantime, noted that the race’s popularity has not waned.

“There’s definitely an interest and appetite to participate. I think Sigma has become a staple in many corporate companies. I can’t speak to all the numbers now, but my last check, we had close to 40 new corporate companies signing up, which is very reassuring to us, because it tells us that there is interest. Some companies decide that they’re going to do it every other year, and so it’s always beneficial for us when other companies who wouldn’t traditionally participate see the need or desire to. And so we’re very happy about that, that we’ve been able to touch some new persons this time around,” she pointed out.

Zacca was, in the meantime, at pains to point out that not one dollar of the funds raised will be used to defray the costs of hosting the race.

“The $150 million is what our target is, and clearly, if we could collect $150 billion, it may not be enough… But it’s still a very aggressive target, and we’re going to meet it.

“Behind that is a $50-million budget to actually execute the race. Sagicor Foundation pays every single cent of that and I think it’s important in a time when people talk about donating but then taking X amount to cover costs. Not one dollar of money raised in the race goes to costs. So every single cent raised as a result of the race will go to the five schools,” Zacca stressed.

The 5.5-kilometre event starts on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston. Registration opened December 4, 2025 and closes January 30, 2026.

Hurricane Melissa, which is historically the most catastrophic hurricane ever to hit Jamaica, packing winds of 185 miles per hour, made landfall on October 28 near New Hope, Westmoreland, causing ruinous flooding across the southern and western belt of the island.

The system, which battered the parishes of St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Montego Bay in St James, and Trelawny — with the most impacted being St Elizabeth and Westmoreland — exited the country via the north-western coast after wreaking indescribable damage to infrastructure, livestock, vegetation, and lives.

Sagicor Vice-President of Communications, Digital Media and Corporate Social Responsibility Nicole Campbell Robinson (left) was too fast out of the blocks for men’s 100m world champion Oblique Seville and Sagicor’s Vice-President of Group Marketing for Jamaica and Latin America Daidre Sloley McKay during the Sagicor Sigma Run launch at the Sagicor head office in New Kingston on Thursday, December 4, 2025. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

Chief Justice Bryan Sykes (second right) was among the many who walked for a cause in the 2025 Sigma Run.