A community that nurtured Kemar “Ding Dong” Ottey has received a $1-million gift from the recording artiste and dancer, who chose the Nannyville Early Childhood Institution as the beneficiary of his Sagicor Sigma Run charitable opportunity.

Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run 2026 raised more than $150 million to support the rebuilding of five schools in western Jamaica which were severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa last October.

In addition, Sagicor Sigma Foundation allocated a donation to the three patrons for the year — sprint champion Oblique Seville, former Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna, and Ding Dong — to direct to a charity or institution of their choice.

For Ding Dong, it was a no-brainer as he selected the basic school in the community which he called home.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the school on Thursday, Ding Dong told the Jamaica Observer that the donation was his way of giving back to the community.

“I used to run, go skating and play football right here in this community. So this is very deep for me because this is where my whole childhood, and my growth took place. Right around this area and right within this complex,” Ding Dong said.

His nostalgia was palpable as he looked around the school, recalling that he frequented the area as a playground or local chill spot before the institution was erected. After the campus officially opened, Ding Dong shared that he did whatever he could to support its maintenance.

“We help paint it, we help do all types of things to make it become a school because it doesn’t just supply services to the Nannyville community. It looks after kids from here, Mountain View, Back Bush…kids from all walks come here. And the kids are learning because the teachers are patient with them and everything, so it means so much to me. I do treats sometimes, I do back-to-school events, and I do everything I can to help these kids,” said the dancehall artiste.

Ding Dong added that he has always been driven to participate in charitable work, and was enthusiastic to become a patron of the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run 2026.

But he did not know that his efforts to help schools in the west would afford him the opportunity to aid the community that raised him.

“When I signed up to do the Sagicor Sigma run, it was just basically, okay it’s a charitable thing and it’s going to the people affected in the west. I never knew that they were going to give me the opportunity to give an institution of my choice, a million dollars.

“So it’s such a blessing to just always give your all and your best without looking forward for a reward. They [the school’s leadership] weren’t expecting this money today, but it’s just a blessing that they dished out to these kids and the community and now they can receive something like this. And it’s such a blessing that it just so happened that it came through me and through Sagicor Sigma Foundation,” said Ding Dong.

Nannyville Early Childhood Institution Principal Beverley Pusey tearfully rejoiced after the cheque was unveiled, revealing that she had received a million-dollar boost to renovate the school.

The emotional school leader told the Observer that she was grateful to Ding Dong and the Sagicor Sigma Foundation for choosing the institution, noting that it was greatly in need of monetary support.

“Some of the children come here without lunch money, some don’t pay school fee. You might even have three children from one home, maybe one pay, maybe none at all. But I’m the type of person that insists that every child has to get lunch, whether they have school fee or not, I won’t send them home. But I am doing this because it is my calling, and because I love them,” said Pusey, tears spilling from her eyes as she spoke.

The school, built more than two decades ago, is without official certification from the Early Childhood Commission (ECC).

Pusey declared on Thursday that the donation will support upgrades and repairs that she hopes will be enough to finally reach that milestone.

“This is more than even the infrastructural changes that it will bring, but just to make the environment better for the children. In terms of certification, we now have a permit, and we are trying to get certified. We currently are up to 80 per cent [ready]. When I just started as principal in 2022 we were at 33 per cent. One other thing is the condition of the classrooms’ flooring; I’m planning to get them tiled. We also need an exit to get to the playground without having to walk all the way around. So I’m not sure if this money can do everything, but that’s why I’m telling you, I’m so grateful to Ding Dong and Sagicor,” said Pusey.

Nicole Campbell Robinson, vice-president of communications at Sagicor, told the Observer that she was elated to see the donation’s impact on its beneficiaries, noting that the foundation’s decision to extend its scope by giving directly to its patrons had paid off.

“By ourselves, we may not be able to extend the reach, but together we can do so much more. So by, I would consider this an extension of the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run through our patrons. All the proceeds from the Sagicor Sigma Run went to the allocated causes that were mentioned. But this is a donation that comes directly from the foundation and it gives us an opportunity to go outside of the identified areas. So this is a donation that we do separately outside of the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run to extend the reach,” said Campbell Robinson.