Feedback from Past Students
My Name is Delroy Smith but I like to go by the name of Anthony. I live in Montego Bay, Jamaica and I am 14 years old. A few years ago I meet the director of this program and we developed a frienship like non I have ever had before. You see my mother died when I was very young so I never really knew what it was like to have a mother till Zion (Karen) came into my life. She has been there for me helping me to go to school with the much needed items I need always. We talk on the phone at least once per week and we have spend many holidays together in Jamaica. But this year July 2009, I got to be a part of JASAC Youth Program. I had so much fun and saw so many things here in Jamaica my homeland that I had never seen before. I had a chance to stay with the American youth and Jamaican youth from St Ann in a villa in Coral Gardens. We had the best of times together for two weeks. We also went to some of the children homes in Trewlany and St James and visited with the youth there and played games with them. We also got to to do some cleaning up at one of the homes and feed some of the chickens. We gave slippers, and napsacks to all the kids in the children homes and just made them fill loved. I made new friends from California like JeanLuc, Johsia, Carl and others. I will miss seeing them everyday, but we plan to keep in touch. I wish this program could go on all years so other kids in Jamaica had a chance to see and do things like me. But I have to say that I don't want to share Zion with others, for she has become the mother to me that I dont have in my life.I just hope one day I can go to California and visit there.
DelRoy Anthony Smith
August 2009
I would like to start by introducing myself, my name is Diana Walker .
Karen is truly a woman of integrity and truth. She will stands up for what is right and will tell youth when they are wrong. She has a passion for children and the youth that no one can touch.
Her dream became reality with her first youth trip to Jamaica in 1999. The way she ministers to the youth is a work of art as only the Lord can be directing. Her correction is fair and just and she will seek out both sides of the story. I had the opportunity of going to Jamaica with Ms. Green and her group in July 2006. My daughter and I made the trip and what an awesome time we had. Not just seeing the island but getting to know each and every child. I was amazed at the way Ms. Green could meet the needs of each and every child and no one every felt like she didn't spend enough time with them.
Daily she would hug and embrace them as the need would arise. With a beautiful smile upon her smile and words of encourage to match, each child felt reassurance of the love she had for them. The secret is the love was not just for the trip but for a lifetime. I have seen her with many of the youth following the trip, still checking on their school progress and mentoring to them in a number of different ways.
While on this journey I was the traveling nurse in charge of aches, pains, cuts, antihistamines, laxatives and aspirins if needed. This group is one of the few that I have ever heard of that travels with their own nurse. I had the unique opportunity to participate in many of the activities that the youth participate in. The monthly workshops agendas' were educational and informative. Everything we learned in the workshops prior to the trip we saw and experienced. Every youth was encouraged to try new things such as foods, fruits, and journeys. The youth were encouraged to not judge things by the way they looked or that first impression, but to embrace the differences for what it was. We were all blessed and changed for a lifetime from the experiences we had with this trip.
The Jamaican pen pals were great; these youth embraced the American youth with zeal and zest. They wanted the American students to understand their culture and lifestyle, as they were also being embraced by the American youth.
I would recommend this trip for anyone youth ages (13-18) that wants to experience Jamaica . Don't hesitate to send your youth for an experience of a lifetime. I watched and saw that miracles happened everyday that were so much a part of the JASAC experience.
Sincerely,
Diana Walker
October 1, 2007
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To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Arielle Brown; I'm currently a senior at Sacramento New Technology High School , located at 1400 Dickson Street Sacramento , CA . Every graduating senior is required to do what is known as a Senior Project. My project is two-fold; first I wanted to meet the school requirements while at the same time being able to give back something meaningful to others. Last summer I had an opportunity to travel to Jamaica , with a local non-profit organization called JASAC. While in Jamaica , I visited a few children orphanages, but one called Blossom Garden Children's Home really left an impression in my heart and mind. The children who live in this home touched my heart so much that I wanted to do something to help them all, and make a little difference in their lives.
One of the things I realized from my trip to Jamaica was all the things I and so many young people take for granted everyday here in Sacramento . A basic need such as shoes to wear everyday. When I looked in my closet I realized just how many shoes I have, yet the children at Blossom Garden Children's Home were missing shoes. Most of them did not have on any shoes and others had shoes that were really worn out.
So I decided I was going to do something to help them. It is my desire and goal to collect one thousand (1000) pairs of flip flops for the children of Jamaica . Once I have collected these shoes I will disturbed them in the Parish of St. James, Jamaica. These shoes will go to the Blossom Garden Children's Home, SOS Children's Village and other orphanages in the Parish of St James, Jamaica.
I look forward to your support and contributions to a worthy cause.
Sincerely,
Arielle Brown
Sept. 2007
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My name is Oshane Harris aka Desrick and I am from Jamaica. I hail from the beautiful parish of St Ann , I am 19 years old. I have be apart of the JASAC program since it started back in 1999 and until this very day I am still apart of JASAC.
JASAC has done a lot for me both physically and mentally, it as impacted me on the way I think about people from other parts of the world, how they think, their culture, beliefs and other aspects of life.
JASAC opened my eyes to almost all the interesting places in Jamaica , place I only heard of but didn't get the chance to see till I became a member of the program. I really want to thank the program founder Ms. Karen Green for allowing me to have the experiences I've had going on trips to various places of interest on my own island that I didn't know about.
JASAC is not only about going out on trips to have a good time and relieving stress placed on you by school, but it has brought with it interesting peers for us Jamaicans to talk to, this helps us as Jamaicans to know how other persons in our age group thinks and how they handle different situations. I would invite any and everyone to become apart of this wonderful program, because as I said its life changing and motivating.
At this time the programmed as help me in such a tremendous way by giving me the opportunity to come to America were I will further my education in college in the field of Computer Science, so I really give God thanks for inspiring Ms. Green to do such a program. .I just hope that this program will always be around to help some other youth not only to go out on trips but to get there whole social and holistic development going.
GOD BLESS THIS PROGRAMME
Oshane Harris
New resident of Sacramento, CA
June 21, 2007
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