THE power of community, partnership and shared purpose was on full display last Thursday evening as corporate leaders, development partners, philanthropists and child advocates gathered at AC Hotel, Kingston for Community Connect 2026 an evening dedicated to celebrating the collective impact of those working to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving and supportive family environment.

Hosted by SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica, the annual engagement served as both a celebration of partnership and a compelling call to action, bringing together long-standing supporters and new collaborators to learn how their investments continue to transform the lives of children and families across the island.

Host of the evening, Jason Brown, former village director of SOS Children’s Village Stony Hill, and current alternative care manager at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, reflected on the enduring importance of community in shaping children’s lives, and encouraged attendees to see themselves as active participants in the organisation’s mission.

“Community is not simply where we live,” Brown said. “It is the people who choose to care, to support, and to create opportunities for children to thrive.“

The evening also highlighted the enduring mission of SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica to provide safe, loving homes for children without parental care while strengthening vulnerable families to prevent family separation whenever possible.

Sean Patrick (right), fund development & communications advisor, SOS Children’s Villages, with Ina Sotirova, filmmaker, and Floyd Garrett, head of strategy & execution, Amber Pay, at an SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica’s Community Connect 2026.

Providing an overview of the organisation’s achievements over the past year, Sean Patrick, fund development and communications advisor, reflected on the resilience demonstrated by the organisation following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last October, while outlining an ambitious vision for expanding SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica’s impact across the island.

Patrick described Hurricane Melissa as one of the greatest operational challenges the organisation had faced in recent years, requiring immediate action to relocate families, assess damaged homes, support caregivers, and ensure that children remained safe and emotionally supported throughout the crisis.

Looking beyond recovery, Patrick outlined the organisation’s strategic priorities, noting that SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica is increasingly focused on strengthening families and communities before crises occur.

Patrick also highlighted the remarkable partnerships that made the organisation’s recovery efforts possible. Working alongside organisations including the VM Foundation, Scotiabank, SOS Children’s Villages Canada, CHEW Foundation, Ideal Finance Group, Half Moon Resort, IBEX, Marubeni Power International, ProComm Jamaica, Marcia Erskine & Associates, and numerous volunteers and community partners, SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica mobilised emergency accommodation, trauma-informed counselling through art and play therapy, educational vouchers, school supplies, uniforms, computers, office equipment and water infrastructure for schools serving vulnerable communities.

The organisation also partnered with schools in some of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Melissa, installing water tanks, strengthening school infrastructure, and ensuring hundreds of children were able to return to the classroom with the resources needed to continue their education.

From left: Claudine Ferron-Banks, financial advisor at SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica, poses with Michael Sutherland, board treasurer; Sharon Lake, board chair; Marjory Kennedy, second vice chair; and Sean Patrick, fund development and communications advisor, during Community Connect 2026 at AC Hotel Kingston.

One of the evening’s most moving moments came with the premiere of a powerful documentary chronicling the experiences of families whose lives were forever changed by Hurricane Melissa.

Produced by Kingston-based multimedia storyteller, journalist, photographer and award-winning documentary filmmaker Ina Sotirova, the film offered an intimate portrait of resilience through the eyes of children, caregivers and communities rebuilding after the storm.

Reflecting on the project, Sotirova said she has always been driven to tell stories that create understanding and inspire action.

“What moved me most about SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica was not simply the devastation these families experienced, but the extraordinary resilience they demonstrated and the community that rallied around them,” she said.

As the event concluded, SOS Children’s Villages Jamaica invited corporate Jamaica and other partners, to deepen their engagement through strategic partnerships, volunteerism, and sustained investment in programmes that strengthen children, families and communities.