S Hotel provides Melody House with $1-m to help build transition home

S Hotel has provided a shot in the arm to the tune of $1million towards the construction of a transition facility to support the accommodation of wards of the state who age out at the St James-based, Montego Bay Community Home for Girls, better known as the Melody House Girls’ Home.

Speaking at a ground breaking ceremony in Irwin, St James to mark the start of the project on Friday, General Manager of S Hotel Montego, Ann-Marie Goffe-Pryce, said the donation was "a testament to our faith in its mission".

"For the first time in Montego Bay, young ladies who are wards of the state and are now 18 will have a much-needed transition home that provides the support they need to achieve full independence before stepping out on their own,” Goffe-Pryce said.

"We believe in the potential of every girl who will walk through the doors of this facility. This project is about more than building a structure; it’s about building hope, resilience and opportunities for these deserving young women. We are empowering girls to overcome adversity and thrive,” she added.

Last year Jamaican Women of Florida (JWOF) charity, which enjoys a long  history of support for the facility,  furnished the project with a  US$12,500 donation.

President of JWOF, Aisha Rainford, underlined that the project to build the transition home is essential because it provides the next step for the girls, many of whom may not have families to turn to as they turn 18 and age out of the main facility.

"At JOWF, our mission is to empower women and girls through education, mentorship and community service. One of our key initiatives is our support for the Montego Bay Community Home for Girls, known as Melody House. We provide the home with supplies, financial support, and the girls with mentorship, workshops and life skills training. At JWOF, we see the girls at Melody House as our “nieces”, and we are their “aunties”, forming a meaningful bond with them and becoming part of their extended family," Rainford said.

"Melody House provides more than a place for safety for the girls, within its walls it’s a place where these young girls are nurtured and empowered, surrounded by people who see their potential and help them rise above their past. It’s a home where new futures are built," she added.

Christine Dexter, Co-founder of Montego Bay Community Home for Girls, extended her gratitude towards S Hotel for their generosity.

S Hotel recently sponsored free breast cancer screenings for 60 women in western Jamaica at a cost of $1 million as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.