Hello! I am bringing my 15yr old nephew and 21 yr old son to Treasure Beach June 17-22. Does anyone know of any volunteer opportunities we can be a part of while we are there? Any information will help. Thanks

Greetings C!

How wonderful that you’re looking for a way to enrich your visit to Treasure Beach by volunteering. I was there for 3 months in the winter and was involved in a wonderful project in Billy’s Bay. The Billy’s Bay Learning Centre operates on Saturday mornings from 9 – 11 (or at least those were the hours when I left in April). It provides an opportunity for children whose families can’t afford to send them to school, or who can’t attend regularly, to develop or strengthen their language, reading, math, fine and gross motor skills as well as others. The volunteer opportunity is to help set up the “classroom” in a local church, engage with children in learning activities (listening to developing readers practice reading, helping preschoolers learn colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc through learning games, and so on), and helping with clean up after the session. If you are interested in exploring this opportunity, let me know. I can connect you, via email, to the basic school teacher who is running the program.

Also, if you’re of the mind and have the resources to bring some supplies for the program, there is always a need for early reader books (such as Cat in the Hat types), picture books adults can read to children, markers, water colors, pencils, glue sticks, construction paper, games, puzzles, etc. It’s expensive to mail them, but easy to bring a few along in luggage.

You might also want to check with the Treasure Beach Women’s Group to see if they have any activities or fundraisers during the time you’ll be there. They always need extra hands! I know one project that needed support was refreshing all the bulletin boards they have around the community. They are in need of fresh paint and updating (or at least they were in April). You could contact Susan in the office to find out if there are any opportunities available. I learned about the bulletin boards from Jean, so you might want to mention that if you email Susan. The email address is TBWGJamaica@yahoo.com

Volunteering is a great way to enhance a visit to Treasure Beach. It brings a greater depth to the vacation experience. I wish you luck finding something that is a good fit for you and your boys.

All my best!

Thank you so much for the information. I will certainly reach out to Susan, that you mentioned, as well as the women's group. We are looking forward to an amazing vacation and I know it would be better if we are of some service while there.
Thanks again