One local man is holding a fundraising raffle for various efforts he is working on in Jamaica.
Dwayne Hillman has been involved with people in the community of Mandeville Jamaica for more than a decade and continues to make a positive impact on the community.
“We are involved with a ministry in Jamaica called Generations Church and the community called Mandeville,” he said. “When you get down into Jamaica there are no food banks as such as we know, no soup kitchens, there is nothing there and what we’re doing is offering a hand up for these people to get them back on the ground.”
There are a number of initiatives Hillman and his team help out with.
“We are involved in a children’s home called New Home Children’s Home. The lady that runs it has 30 children under the age of five – some are handicapped, some are abandoned – there’s a lot of interesting things happening,” said Hillman. “We are also involved with a home for mentally challenged men. There are 19 of them there at the moment.
“We started a sewing centre down there. One of our girls one year decided to bring a sewing machine down there and there is a young girl there now making her own clothes. From that one sewing machine we now have four sewing machines and two sergers and one industrial sewing machine. We often take sewing material and sewing items down so she can make money with what she is doing.
“We are involved in a hand up in the community – we do not give a hand out. Everything is long term. We want to make sure it is sustainable.”
There are many other initiatives Hillman helps out with as well.
As for the raffle, there will be four winners drawn and they will have the chance to choose which $500 card they would like. Prizes include a $500 grocery card, a $500 fuel card, a $500 prepaid Visa card and a $500 Cineplex card. Only 1,000 tickets are printed.
Hillman said if all the raffle tickets are purchased they will raise $10,000 for various initiatives in Mandeville, Jamaica. One hundred per cent of the money raised goes toward these programs and initiatives.
“We don’t raise money this way for our trips down – I fund my own self through my employment. We are proud of that because there are no administration fees and we go through a charity here in Red Deer called Impact the World,” he said. “We are trying to do our best in this area.”
About 12 years ago Hillman was supposed to move to Haiti to teach English as a Second Language but because of unrest in that country, he never made it there. Instead, he travelled to Jamaica and he has returned to Mandeville since.
To purchase a raffle ticket or for more information about the cause, call Hillman at 403-598-3021.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
