A Child Sponsorship Heart Warmer

A Child Sponsorship Heart Warmer

As most of you are aware, ACE’s Child Sponsorship program strives to not only give every child a step up in their education, but also help grow them into young adults who contribute to their community and society in Jamaica. This is the case with 22-year-old Anthony Hucey, who joined our child sponsorship in 2011. 

After ACE learned that he had a learning disability, we helped him get accepted into Edgehill School of Special Education. And once he graduated high school, he received ACE’s Apprenticeship Sponsorship, where he was able to get a job on the Green Life Farm (GLF).

Anthony has been working with the GLF team for over a year now and is loved by all. In fact, he has actually become one of the best GLF employees according to his supervisor. That’s because he is always stepping up to learn a new way to serve on the farm, and showing up early to work every day and every week.  

We recently learned that there was one thing Anthony has always wanted more than anything…can you guess?

A TV!! ACE provides every employee with a savings plan where they can put a certain amount away each month for an emergency, or even a TV! Anthony was so happy to know that he had enough money to buy the TV of his choice.

He absolutely loves his TV. He doesn’t have internet or cable, but he can still get local channels and borrow others’ internet for limited use. In addition to the new TV, Anthony is also excited to be able to have his own bed, thanks to his two sponsors coming together and chipping in to gift him one for Christmas. 

Anthony is one of many special needs adults who are truly wonderful men and women who enjoy entering into new stages of life by working and earning their living. And our team at ACE loves getting to see these accomplishments and celebrate their victories with them!

4 Ways to Give Hope on Giving Tuesday

4 Ways to Give Hope on Giving Tuesday

As we enter the “Giving Season” and Giving Tuesday draws near, we can’t help but think about how thankful we are to have a community of supporters that don’t simply give during a season of the year, but they give of their time, talents, and treasures throughout the year, every year. 

Thank you for believing in the mission and vision of ACE and helping us see lives changed in St. Mary, Jamaica. 

As always, we have big dreams and plans for 2024 to continue living out our Faith through our four main spheres of influence: education, wellness, micro-enterprise, and spiritual development.

But we can’t do it without you. Will you continue to partner with us in both prayer and financial support as we prepare to complete the following 4 projects that are currently under way at ACE?

1. Our Second Children’s Village Home – Thanks to a generous donor, we’ve met the financial needs to complete construction on the second Children’s Home. However, we still need about $3,000 to build kitchen cabinets and bunk beds in each unit of the duplex. 

2. Digging a Well on the Farm – Thanks to a recent tropical storm, we received an abundance of rain! Yet we still have a huge shortage of clean drinking water, and our surrounding communities are not receiving water at all. We need about $25,000 to dig a well for better access to clean water.

3. Installing our Greenhouse & 150 Aeroponic Towers – We are in the beginning stages of installing our greenhouse! To save room and maximize how much food we can grow for our community, we also need about 150 aeroponic towers. We are hoping to raise $60,000 to complete the rest of this project.

4. Paying Off the Green Life Property – The mortgage on the Green Life Llanrumney property is due September 2024. Through our Legacy Campaign, we have already raised about half of the funds, but there’s still about $350,000 left to pay off the banknote so we can keep the farm. This is a huge need for us, as the property has already helped us create several new micro enterprises and dozens of new jobs for the community. 

As you prayerfully consider how you and your family might support ACE here at Giving Tuesday and as we near year-end, please read more about our Legacy Campaign here. You can also make a donation through that link, or by contacting the ACE Stateside Office at 877.500.5768 or office@acexperience.org. 

Together, we can continue to create lasting change in a poverty culture by empowering people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining.   

*ACE is a 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations are 100% tax deductible. Annual giving statements are mailed out at the end of the year.

Marla’s Minute: A Bittersweet Story

Marla’s Minute: A Bittersweet Story

We know you’ve likely experienced a bittersweet story of someone you love leaving to take the next step in life. This month, ACE has one of those stories to share. 

Our Child Sponsorship Coordinator D’Vaun has been with ACE for eight years and has made the painful decision to move on to a new chapter of life by “semi-departing” from ACE to be a Guidance Counselor at our very first sponsored school, Jackson Primary. We have watched him grow up, get married to our former Administrator Saskia, and welcome their beautiful baby boy to the world. 

With more mouths to feed in his family, we all saw it coming. It’s hard to compete with the benefits a government job offers, so we all held our breath until that announcement came. We are all very happy for D’Vaun’s family, but it’s still sad knowing that D’Vaun won’t be around as much.

You may be wondering what we meant when we said D’Vaun is “semi-departing” from ACE. Well, so far we have seen him almost every day, as usual. He shows up frequently at our Peace House supper on Thursday nights and in the late afternoons to continue giving advice to Jewel and other members of the staff.

That’s the sweet part! D’Vaun is and will always be part of the ACE family. He’s even offered to help us with our summer teams and spring break trips when he’s available. Will you get to see D’Vaun and his family when you come down next?! The answer is always a big YES!!! His family is an official sponsored family, and their little baby Markhus has a bunch of self-appointed “kin” to babysit, love on, and train him to be on staff when he grows up. We are confident he will inherit some great leadership genes!

We hope you’ll be happy for ACE and for D’Vaun’s family. We wish them all the best that God has to offer, and we look forward to visiting D’Vaun at Jackson Primary up in the hills soon.

The Mission & Vision of ACE

The Mission & Vision of ACE

We’ve just released our latest video detailing the mission and vision of ACE. Even after 35 years, we’ve remained focused on our four main impact areas — education, wellness, micro enterprise, and spiritual development. 

Please take a moment to watch the video below and discover what we’re currently doing to strengthen each of these impact areas.

Thank you for being a part of our mission and helping us meet the educational, physical, and spiritual needs of people in St. Mary, Jamaica. There’s always a way for you to be a part of what we’re doing at ACE. You can volunteer and plan a trip, sponsor a child, or show your support with a financial donation.

Marla’s Minute: ACE Expands Another Notch

Marla’s Minute: ACE Expands Another Notch

We have been so blessed to see another generation of our ACE family coming into the world. Earlier this month, D’Vaun and Saskia gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Christovaun Azhani! D’Vaun already gave him a pet name, Markhus. Whichever name you decide to call him, he probably won’t respond for a few months.  

D’Vaun, as you all may know, came to ACE many years ago. We were officially his first job. He met Saskia who was our ACE Administrator at the time, and they soon fell in love. While ACE doesn’t claim to be in the match making business, we seem to be pretty good at introducing great people to each other. And we get to be a part of all the fun! In fact, just weeks ago, ACE provided the perfect spot for a baby shower at our lower ruins. 

We are so happy for Saskia and D’Vaun on this new adventure! Welcome Markhus, and know you have many godparents praying for you always!  

Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.” Psalm 127:3