After almost 7 years as a board member of FOJ I'm writing to say that this group of returned volunteers has run out of steam as the board of FOJ.  We gave two years as volunteers and more, in my case 7 years, as board members of FOJ.  Now, we need your help if you want the group to continue.  We need a whole new board to reinvigorate FOJ. This board still believes in assisting volunteers, working with the communities we know and love.  Yet, our lives have changed.  Ever escalating responsibilities have taken us in new directions; graduate degrees, families, jobs and more draw our attention and time.

We need a new board that has the necessary passion to allow FOJ to continue its good works.  Until FOJ has a functioning board, the operations of FOJ will be suspended. 

If you want to be one of these new board members contact Andrea Tehan at andrea.tehan@gmail.com.

Walk Good,

Ian Gottesman, Andrea Tehan, & Mark Bellinger
Peace Corps Jamaica Volunteers 2003-2005

Welcome to the Friends of Jamaica Website!

Friends of Jamaica has a lot of exciting opportunities to assist Peace Corps Volunteers, their communities and projects. Returned volunteers and others interested in assisting Jamaica can read our latest newsletter to see how they can help. Please don't forget to donate to or join Friends of Jamaica.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved! Our book delivery was very successful. Over 7,000 books were delivered to schools all over Jamaica. the books were donated by First Book and shipped by Food for the Poor. We sent books to Peace Corps Volunters that they distributed and the USAID project: Expanding Education Horizons (EEH) distributed the books throughout the island. A few of the schools who received books: Inverness Primary in St. Ann, Allman Town Primary in Kingston, Children’s First in St. Catherine. PeaceCorpConnect recently recognized us on their new blog:
Sheryl Brown of EEH said,

“…we delivered some of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' books to Inverness Primary School. They were ecstatic! All normal school activities came to a halt. Children were overtaken with glee and the joy that comes with new toys. The books were distributed immediately and the entire school (except the youngest babies) became a reading class. Numerous pictures were taken…”

We have received an outpouring of thank you letters from the children. Without your support, this project could not have worked so thanks again. We want to make book donations a regular project of FOJ so please let us know of any worthy groups in Jamaica

Please renew your membership or make a donation to assist in these projects.

View the latest FOJ Newsletter from Fall 2010. Or read previous newlstters from FOJ Newsletter from Winter 2009, FOJ Newsletter from Spring 2008, or FOJ Newsletter from Summer 2008 (200K) .