MONTEGO BAY, St James — National director for the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay is optimistic that Montego Bay’s business community will easily surpass the $5 million fund-raising target set for the Special Olympics Caribbean Beach Games.

“Based on what we heard, we believe there is a strong possibility of raising $10 million,” she told the Jamaica Observer Tuesday after the media launch for the games.

Lindsay said members of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) have confidently expressed the belief that they could help raise that amount for the event.

“We are working very closely with the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce so that they can mobilise their corporate sponsors as well as the business sector so that collectively they make donations towards the cause,” she said.

“I am very confident that we can mobilise that funding,” Lindsay added.

The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Jamaica Fire Brigade, Department of Correctional Services, Jamaica Customs Agency, and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) will all participate in the torch run to raise awareness of individuals with special needs, while generating funds to support the event.

The Special Olympics Caribbean Beach Games will be held at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay from November 18 to 22. The event is expected to attract athletes from 20 Caribbean countries, who will compete in several sporting disciplines at the venue.

Lindsay explained that support for the LETR has been consistently strong over the years. That trend was evident for the most recent event.

“It was just completed the other day. We set a very ambitious target of $5 million. We made those commitments April 2026. At the end of June 2026, we met our target and we are pleased to say that we were able to hand over to Special Olympics Jamaica, to support the team to Paris, $8.2 million. We exceeded the target by $3.2 million and that was very easy,” she said during her address.

Lindsay noted that western Jamaica has already demonstrated its fund-raising capacity, with Area One — comprising Hanover, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and St James — contributing more than $1.6 million during the previous campaign.

“Montego Bay, from that total, in just one day gave over $300,000,” she pointed out.

With that track record, she believes the city is well positioned to do even more for this year’s event, which it will host.

“We have about 86 days to go, so if we do a quick calculation at $300,000 per day, that’s roughly about $25 million,” the senior cop joked.

“It means therefore that a $5-million target is not too bad, right? Because we like to make the targets low so when we exceed them, we say, ‘Yes, we have done exceptionally well’,” she added.

Lindsay welcomed the support pledged by the chamber, describing the organisation as a key partner in the fundraising effort.

“How we do it is that we mobilise the private sector, the Church, the family, everybody. No donation too big, none too small. So, we’d like for you to say to your chamber person, we need to write a cheque to Special Olympics,” she appealed to members of the business community.

In providing a clear example of how easy it is to donate, she reflected on the generosity shown at the previous fund-raising launch in Kingston.

“Of the $8.2 million, we raised $2.2 million at the launch. Persons walk with their cheque books and their ATM cards and they just make their commitments and their pledges,” Lindsay said.