Simone Brown here. 

Since mi a pickney, I have always loved to help people. At 18, I left the only home I'd ever known for farrin. Now, almost 2 decades later, I have lived, loved and worked both in Jamaica and overseas and discovered the truth for myself - There is NOWHERE like Yawd.

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I founded 876 VOLUNTEER after struggling to remain spiritually connected to Jamaica while living abroad. Visits home were always too short and it felt impossible to fit in family, friends, beach AND find somewhere to volunteer. With every trip back, I was more convinced there had to be a simpler way to find out who needed help and where I could offer support.  I also realized re-defining our definition of "helping" to include sharing our life experiences or skills with those in need, would lead to a richer contribution. 

After reasoning with friends and family both in Jamaica and overseas, a few things became clear to me: 

  • There are ongoing volunteer efforts nationwide - We just don't always hear about them.

  • “Help” does not need to be a donation of money. Shared knowledge can be the most generous gift. One that keeps on giving. 

  • EVERYONE wants to help - They just need to know how, and where, and when. Which is good – Because it is going to take everyone to make the Positive Impact Jamaica needs!

Typically these bios of the founder would include education, work experience etc. and while this information may be important to some, I wanted to focus on the only qualification really required to give back – A Heart in the right place. We don’t need money, a formal education or even a skill to give back. If we have those resources and share them – it’s a plus. But Every. Single. Solitary. Person. has something to offer that can enrich the life of another.

Join me in co-creating a come-UNITY focused on making Volunteering go Viral so we can build a STRONGER JAMAICA.