In a powerful display of cultural solidarity, the Jamaica Strong Benefit Concert generated over US$500,000 in net proceeds to aid recovery efforts from Hurricane Melissa’s devastation. Held on December 12, 2025, at New York’s UBS Arena in Queens, the event united the global Jamaican diaspora through music and humanitarian action.
Organizer George Crooks of Jammins Events confirmed the substantial fundraising achievement, emphasizing how the initiative brought together international communities in support of hurricane relief. The concert’s organizational framework, led by New York-based cultural entities Irie Jam Radio, Irie Jam Foundation, Jammins Events, and RoadBlock Radio, transformed collective concern into coordinated action through transparent, community-driven leadership.
Bobby Clarke, co-founder of the Irie Jam Foundation, detailed the strategic distribution plan for the raised funds. The allocation includes US$150,000 each to Shaggy’s Make a Difference Foundation, the Sean Paul Foundation, and the Government of Jamaica Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund. An additional US$50,000 was designated to the Irie Jam Foundation specifically for repairing and rebuilding primary schools in Cornwall, among the storm’s most severely impacted regions.
“By directing funds to both national and community-based organizations,” Clarke explained, “we ensure support reaches individuals, families, and communities where need is most immediate and impact most meaningful.”
The event featured Caribbean artists who donated their time and talent, using music as a vehicle for unity and healing during national crisis. Kacy Rankine, CEO of Roadblock Radio, highlighted the profound cultural significance: “Caribbean artists used music and culture as vehicles for unity, healing, and advocacy during a moment of national crisis.”
Rankine expressed gratitude to sponsors, patrons, media partners, volunteers, and the broader Caribbean diaspora whose generosity made the initiative possible. The concert successfully achieved its dual objectives: increasing global attention to Hurricane Melissa’s human toll and mobilizing substantial financial support for rebuilding communities.
Nearly 10,000 attendees filled the arena, demonstrating extraordinary engagement from the Jamaican diaspora and friends of Jamaica who gathered to show solidarity, compassion, and resolve. While the concert marked a significant milestone, organizers emphasized that recovery remains ongoing, requiring sustained support to restore stability, dignity, and opportunity for all affected by the hurricane.