I just want to thank all of the wonderful people of Treasure Beach for another successful trip! Our group had a great time working with the students at Sandy Bank Primary, and we will miss them very much until next year! We also worked at Sandy Bank Basic, and with the help of Miss Laura painted the jungle gym and a new sign.

Thank you to both Miss Effie for her hospitality and friendship, and Karen Kennedy for her great work with the Treasure Beach Foundation.

I hope to see everyone again next year!

Thanks to you and all the volunteers, Sara. I'm so glad you got out as much as you put into the trip.

If any of you have pictures, we'll be happy to host them here in our Photo Gallery.

-TBNet

Like Sara, I would like to thank everyone in Treasure Beach for your hospitality! I had a wonderful time, and I hope to go back again! Thank you to all the teachers at Sandy Bank Basic School for your kindness. We loved working with the children!

The children are so beautiful!!! bless them all.
Thanks to all the volunteers.

Thanks to all the volunteers for a job well done.all the best in your endevours.

As opposed to the children who feel entitled to get land, there are many who assist the community out of the goodness of their hearts. Nothing else. Bless them.

Is this part of a college class curriculum?

A post here by Ben was accidentally deleted. Sorry! Can you please repost.

When you do (and any others wishing to share their wonderful pictures), please reduce images down to a reasonable size. The size that most digital cameras make is simply too large for the browser screen and for those people that access this site with dialup modems.

600X480 is our recommended size.

Again, thanks for all your hard work and we love seeing these picture.

-TBNet

I had a wonderful time in Treasure Beach. I loved getting to know and working with the kids at Sandy Bank Primary School. Everyone we met was so friendly and welcoming, which helped make our stay that much more amazing. Thank you Treasure Beach!

Spending the week at sandy bank was probably the most fun I have had in a while... I absolutely loved the children and the teachers were so welcoming - it was incredibly hard to leave at the end.

This was by far the most rewarding volunteer experience I have ever had! I want to thank everyone for being such gracious hosts!

I want to thank the Treasure Beach community for their hospitality- I had a wonderful trip and feel that I learned just as much as I taught the children! We will all miss you until next year!!

Thanks so much to everyone in Treasure Beach! I had an amazing time working with grade three at Sandy Bank - the kids are all so enthusiastic and loving!

I want to thank everyone is Treasure Beach for being so friendly and welcoming! I had an amazing time in Treasure Beach and want to go back. It was so much fun working at the Sandy Bank Basic. Thank you to all the teachers for welcoming us into their school!

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It was my first time in Jamaica, so I was equally excited to get to know all the kids and people there as they did when they saw me. I missed my life there during that week - esp. the kids and every bit of our very interesting interaction. I hope we did make a difference at Sandy Bank Primary School; I will always remember my experiences in Treasure Beach, and I hope the kids will remember us and understand our actions eventually if not immediately.

Treasure Beach was absolutely amazing. As you can see in my pictures, I had the best time with the children, and your community was so welcoming! Thank you for a great Jamaican experience. I hope to return soon!

No pictures from Emily. Would like to see them. I am loving all these photos.

Beautiful pictures- looks funny to see children still playing with tires today, brought me back to 30 years ago, May god bless them they are content without all the fancy things in life.

This year we had 36 University of Virginia students in Treasure Beach for a week. They were there as part of the "ASB" program (Alternative Spring Break). ASB is a fairly new concept, perhaps no more than 10 years old. Students volunteer for assignments, some in the U.S. and some overseas. These are all service trips; they are not part of the university curriculum, and they do not receive class credits for what they do. It is up to them to raise 100% of the funds necessary for their trips -- transportation, lodging, meals, etc.

Because the group was so large this year, they had three Site Leaders. Here's what I wrote to them after the trip:

Dear Marcus, Sara, and Emily ...

On behalf of the community of Treasure Beach (and of Treasure Beach Foundation), I am extending a heartfelt "thank you" to the three of you, as well as the other 33 participants.

The library at the Primary School is now organized and useful.

The playground at the Basic School is now being enjoyed by happy children.

Many, many children with whom you worked, either as a group or in a one-on-one relationship, have had their lives truly transformed by what they heard, how they were treated, and the personal attention they received.

I hope each of you keeps Treasure Beach in your heart.

Sincerely,
Karen

I had an amazing experience in Treasure Beach--the community was so welcoming and the children were incredible. It was a tremendously rewarding experience to work with the children for a week and simply to be in Treasure Beach.

I had the most amazing time at Treasure Beach this year! The children were amazing, and I loved getting to know each of the children. We had a great time, and thank you to everyone we met for making this such a great week for us all!

This trip was truly a life-changing experience for me. It was my first time in Jamaica and now I know I need to go back. I absolutely loved getting to know everyone and working with the kids was amazing!!! Everyone was so nice and loving so I just want to say thanks to the Treasure Beach community as a whole because you all taught me a lot and it was an experience I'll never forget!!! :-)

The Principal
The students from UVA have being coming to Sandy Bank Primary School for sometime now and every year that they are here they have made a difference.Each group has left their mark.They have become part of the Sandy Bank School Family.Both Staff and students look forward to their coming.They have worked in every area of the school and so our students learnt a lot from them. They certainly enjoyed our morning devotions.I would say that we got the very best students from the University.They were very focused in what they came about.Thanks to them all for coming in to our school and I wish for them all the best.

Visiting Treasure Beach was an amazing experience! Thank you Treasure Beach for all of your hospitality and kindness! Treasure Beach is a beautiful place and working with the kids at Sandy Bank Primary was incredible! The kids are so full of energy and enthusiastic about life! This was my first trip to Jamaica, and it was definitely full of wonderful memories and I hope to return to the future!

Hello Treasure Beach!
Thanks for giving me the best spring I have ever had. I had never been to Jamaica and I can honesty say it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, both because of the physical beauty and the beauty of the people living there. I miss the Primary School and its students everyday and I cant wait to come back!

My experiences in Sandy Bank Primary and Jamaica were truly life-changing and worthwhile. I enjoyed working with the kids and helping with their school work while also, being immersed into the the culture. From speaking patios with the kids to enjoying the food and culture, it was a great experience and I hope to return very soon!!

I cannot even begin to express what a fabulous week I had in Treasure Beach. Everyone, young and old, was so warm and welcoming...I felt right at home. Spending time with the children made each day an adventure--their compassion and curiosity are truly refreshing. I have already had so much fun reminiscing over my trip...and know I will for years to come. Thank you for having me!!

Treasure Beach was the most amazing experience in my college career. It is such a wonderful and welcoming community. Everyday the we met new people who taught us so much from Jamaican cuisine, Patios, how to play cricket, and beautiful music. The children were just as energetic as the teachers. It was heartbreaking to leave the children and I wish I could've packed some in my suitcase. It was surreal to have an impact in just a couple of days. My only regret is that I didn't come sooner. I'm already planning my next visit.

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Those those adding your wonderful pictures to this thread:

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reduce their size before you upload them here. If you don't know how, ask a friend. If you don't have friends, ask us at webmaster@treasurebeach.net

To TB.net: I know this is supposed to be for serious comments but I thought the "If you don't have friends" thing you said was really funny. Being perfectly honest, I have wanted to post pictures on this site but I couldn't figure out the directions. My friends couldn't either. This is not the place to do it, but if you could make the directions easier for non-techies it would be very appreciated.

These pictures of the kids are priceless.

Bwoy, di pickney dem pretty sah an yuh can si di appreciation pon dem face.

What the university students did is wonderful. It sounds like they received as much as they gave.

Back when I was in college the only way to make a public service commitment is by joining the Peace Corps. This ASB is a spectacular program. I am wondering if any participants go on to join the Peace Corps after graduation.

Thanks very much to all involved. The students, the community, and Treasure Beach Foundation.

My trip to Jamaica this year truly changed my perspective on the world. I really enjoyed meeting everyone, and I am so thankful for the welcomeness my group experienced. I will never forget the children, their attitudes, and the beauty of the country. There is no question in my mind that I will be returning, hopefully for a very extended stay. Thank you again!