Like most people Jamaica is high up on my list of places to visit and I am really bummed I have not made it there yet. The rich culture, kind people and beautiful environment are the main attractions to this incredible country. Unfortunately as many positives as there are it is also an impoverished country where there are a lot of people struggling to provide a good life and avoid the typical pitfalls of desperate situations.
Since I have always wanted to go to Jamaica any chance I have to see more about the country I am totally interested. I saw a couple of shows that featured a surf camp that focuses on the youth of Jamaica and provides a place to learn and grow with surfing. The camp is called Jamnesia and they offer lessons to kids as well as well as loaner boards for all to use. In the shows I saw that a lot of the boards were old and beat up. The awesome thing is this does not detour their enthusiasm for the sport and board repair is common and appreciated.
I was so stoked to see these kids pumped on surfing and having such a good time on less than perfect equipment that it made me even more inspired to get involved. I contacted Billy Wilmot, founder of the camp and father of Jamaican surfing, who then got me in touch with Patrick Michell (Quashi). I told them about SLVDR and our mission to get donated board sports product to deserving youth and they were stoked. It is real hard to get boards into Jamaica as the import duties are super high as well as the shipping costs. With a little help from friends here I gathered up 6 boards and sent them to Patrick in Florida who then was able to get them to the camp. Below are emails from Patrick and Billy and I can not tell you how stoked it made me to hear the boards made it and see the photos. This was a great start to the Common Thread Project.