THE Broward Centre for the Performing Arts in downtown Fort Lauderdale in Florida is expected to come alive on July 12 as Jamaicans, and mainly people of Caribbean descent, will converge to celebrate excellence at the 2026 People Profile Awards.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer recently, Dr Allan Cunningham, the founder of People Profile Organisation, said the event next month — which is geared towards recognising excellence and supporting educational development in Jamaica — will host 600 patrons this time around.

“We usually attract 700 to 800 people, but this year, we are looking at about 600 people. We want to make sure that we have it at a manageable pace. We have had great sponsors in the past and people continue to sponsor us because they recognise the work that we do,” Cunningham said.

“I must tell you that the proceeds from the People Profile Award is used to enhance education in Jamaica. Two years ago, we created a wellness centre at the Maverley Primary school and four years ago we created a reading lab at the Whitfield Town Primary School, plus we have contributed to several alumnus. The money that we raise does not go to one man or any one thing. One hundred per cent of all proceeds go towards servicing education,” added Cunningham.

People wishing to attend the event, which will observe its 11th staging, are being encouraged to purchase their tickets early, especially people who want to be seated in the VIP area. Cunningham said that regular tickets cost US$100 while VIP tickets cost US$150.

“Peopleprofile.org is our website. We will have a limited amount of seating for VIP, [which] is usually sold out, so you have to act fast. Check out our website. The donations go towards elevating and recognising primary school education in Jamaica. The People Profile Awards give people the perfect opportunity [to support education in Jamaica]. You can visit our website and make donations through the site,” he urged.

Cunningham said that he was happy that for the 11th year, People Profile Awards will be honouring excellence and inspiring people to strive for excellence, knowing their time might come for them to be recognised for their contribution to various professional and other fields.

A cheque in the sum of $1million that was presented to the Whitfield Town Primary and Infant School in St Andrew in 2021.

The founder shared that the possibility of hosting next year’s event in Jamaica is being explored.

“For our 12th year, we are looking at going to Jamaica. It is going to be a big deal. I have been invited by several corporate bodies down there and so I just have to put a team together and try to get it moving. That is where we are heading for next year.

“It is a global effort. We have people from New York and London who have received awards, and certainly People Profile has no boundaries when it comes on to just sharing stories and honouring our unsung heroes in our community doing extraordinary work on a global level. It is not just about Jamaicans or the Caribbean. People Profile is about everyone.

“By extraordinary, we are looking at those persons who have stepped out and excelled in whatever they are doing at any level. It might be on a humanitarian effort, it might be based on charities, and it might be based on being an educator or a student. Some of the areas we look at are innovation, sports, courage and just being a great corporate citizen and we also look at persons who are at the end of their careers and award them with the lifetime achievement award,” Cunningham said, sharing that the lifetime achievement award has gone to six Jamaicans over 11 years.

They include Oliver Samuels, Glenn Mills, Leonie Forbes, and Winston “Yellow Man” Foster.

Among those to be awarded at this year’s event are Cheryl Wynter, Andre Bailey, Dr Tameka Bradley, Dr Germain Smith-Baugh, Chibueze Alutu, and Adanna Alutu.