The Tribune

By NOELLE NICOLLS

Tribune Features Editor

nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

SURVIVING humanity requires an ability to embrace life’s rich contradictions – a teetering sign of mass insanity or intelligence. So it did not escape notice that the headline artist of Saturday night’s fund raising concert for the PACE Foundation was an artist whose hit song, “It Wasn’t Me”, simultaneously trivialises and mocks the philandering ways of a man caught red-handed cheating.

The PACE (Providing Access to Continued Education) Foundation provides education and support to teenage mothers and promotes awareness to help reduce teen pregnancy among young adults in the Bahamas. Some of the teenagers in the PACE programme are victims of incest and lecherous older men.

Jamaican recording artist Shaggy, of Grammy Award winning fame, broke into the pop market with this chart topping hit. He moved from having parochial success in Jamaica, his home, to being a household name globally.

And yet, holding true of life’s contradictions, Shaggy is also known regionally for his philanthropy. His Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation is one of the main benefactors of Jamaica’s Bustamante Hospital for Children, the only children’s hospital in the English speaking Caribbean. Though his own personal investment, and proceeds from a series of Shaggy and Friends concerts, the foundation has raised more than $1 million for the hospital since 2000.

Considering the spirit behind his hit song, the star of the show was simultaneously the best and most ironic choice for the first major concert to be held at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Offshore Island in support of PACE’s building fund.

“Basically I have been dealing with [the Bustamante Hospital for Children] for the last 14 years. For the first nine years it was just me doing it out of pocket. We collaborated with Scotiabank to create a park and recreation area. On the ribbon cutting, a gentleman came to me and asked me to look at his daughter. His daughter was a 7 year old girl with a bullet lodged in her head. At that point I figured I must do something else. I got the idea to start doing the concert series,” said Shaggy.

“I am extremely passionate about education and the continuing support to teen parents is high on my list of concerns. I have always done music with a purpose and anytime I have the opportunity to perform for a cause, it is a blessing. It is great to be performing at this wonderful charity event for all my reggae fans here in the Bahamas,” he said.

Hosted by The Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, the Saturday night concert was aptly titled “Vibes on the Island”. It featured unlimited premium brand spirits and a wide selection of gourmet hors d’oeuvres. One of its over 600 patrons hailed the event as “the best ever”.

“That was by far the best event I have been to in years. Well done. From the parking, transport to the island the food and drinks and of course the show! Top notch and well worth the money for a great charity,” said Deb Knowles.

Given the response, Public Relations Manager Chester Robards said the public should expect to see a lot more fund raising events of the same magnitude.

“We can’t go back now,” said Mr Robards.

On the night of the event, Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals Resorts International and President of the Sandals Foundation, declared “the secret is out”, referring to the Sandals offshore island. Indeed, patrons at the event said they were blown away by the island’s features and surprised to walk behind the gates and see the full development of Sandals for the first time.

After the gala event last year, Mr Stewart was one of the advocates for scaling up and staging a big concert on the offshore island in support of its ongoing relationship with PACE.

“The Sandals Foundation is very proud to continue its partnership with PACE, which strives to make a remarkable impact on the lives of many young girls, changing the outcome for future generations. The money raised here this evening will go to further educational opportunities that are crucial to community development here in The Bahamas,” said Mr Stewart.

All proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will go to support the PACE Programme and the refurbishment of a first-of-its-kind support centre that will ensure young mothers are provided with a resource that accommodates administrative, health care, nursery and academic services.