There’s Important Work to be Done!
Help build the recently-approved TBHC, which will be located at the BREDS Sports Park.
Treasure Beach has no official health centre – a matter that has been identified by the community and government stakeholders as being of urgent need. The nearest centres are in Southfield and Newell which are open only on certain days and on those days, only for specific issues. Having this health centre in Treasure Beach would allow our 3,500 residents and visitors the opportunity to receive a wider range of health care services for an extended period of time. We have just received parish council approval to build a permanent structure for the health centre at the BREDS Sports Park. We have a robust pipeline of medical professionals to call on for support and rotating attendance. Our existing and growing list of willing health care professionals just need the tools to provide affordable health care service – general and specialized – that residents and visitors need. Your donations can help to fill a critical gap in a short period of time.
The Treasure Beach Sports Park
At the heart of our community is the Breds Treasure Beach Sports Park. With its many facilities — including football and cricket fields, multipurpose courts (basketball, tennis, pickleball, etc), playground, and swimming pool — the park enables programming that supports our mission to use sport for social change. Future plans for this facility include building stands to accommodate 1200 spectators in order to meet the Jamaica Premier League requirements so that the park can officially become the home grounds for the Treasure Beach Football Club. There are also plans to upgrade the fields and irrigation system, rehabilitate the existing well and build dormitories for teams or campers.
Galleon St. Elizabeth Fish Sanctuary
In 2011, Breds approached the government to establish the Galleon St. Elizabeth Fish Sanctuary, which now encompasses over 1,150 acres of the Caribbean Sea. The sanctuary employs four full-time wardens and a manager. The project was initiated in response to concerns expressed by the local fishing community that overfishing was leading to a significant reduction in the volume of the catch by local fishermen. The Galleon site was selected because it presents the ideal conditions for the breeding of marine life —including endangered Hawksbill and green turtles, manatees, seagrass, and mangroves — as well as the nesting for birds such as Osprey that now breed in the wetlands adjoining the sanctuary.
Play for the Mangroves
Breds, in partnership with Seacology, a global nonprofit dedicated to protecting island ecosystems and cultures, is proud to announce the launch of Play for the Mangroves (PFTM) in Jamaica. Following successful initiatives in the Dominican Republic and the Philippines, Jamaica becomes the third country to join this growing movement at the intersection of environmental protection and youth development. Founded on the belief that young people can be powerful agents of environmental change, PFTM offers sports equipment and training in exchange for active participation in conservation activities such as mangrove planting, cleanups, and coastal biodiversity monitoring. The Jamaica initiative is led locally by Trysion Walters, a respected youth coach, marine warden and manager of the Galleon Beach Fishing Sanctuary, who brings deep roots in both conservation and youth mentorship on the island’s south coast.
PMBL Basketball Camp
Founded in Philadelphia, PA, the Friends of PMBL is an organization dedicated to using basketball as a vehicle for positive social change. The annual Friends of PMBL Jamaican Youth Basketball Camp is a one-week summer basketball camp held at the Treasure Beach Sports Park. Facilitated by 50+ visiting coaches (including veteran NBA personnel) and working with over 1000 kids, the camp has, over the past eight years, donated over 5,000 pairs of shoes, served tens of thousands of meals and provided full basketball kits (shorts, socks, shirts and jerseys) while giving the campers the opportunity to have fun and learn the game.
DESSO Foundation
DESSO is a non-profit organization founded to provide scholarships to deserving youths and adults in and around the Treasure Beach. DESSO is a collaboration of Jamaican and American concerned parties interested in benefiting the Treasure Beach community by helping as many students as possible to attend school on a regular basis. It is our belief that education is a basic human right, and is the key to lifting oneself, one’s family, and one’s community out of poverty. Our aim, by helping these gifted scholars, is to enable them to elevate the entire community.
EduSport
In 2011 Breds developed and initiated the rolling out of the EduSport program at Sandy Bank Primary School in Treasure Beach. The EduSport program delivers outdoor game-based learning (in lieu of Physical Education classes) at the Sandy Bank Primary School. Due to the tremendous success of the program Breds approached UNICEF to become a partner. With the support of UNICEF and the Ministry of Education, EduSport is now facilitated by 164 coaches, in over 225 primary schools across the island reaching 37,180 of students on a weekly basis.
The Breds Source
In partnership with Jamaica National, Breds opened The Breds Source which provides safe spaces in communities for students, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders to have access to business services including printing, scanning and wifi as well as a meeting space and homework area.
Likkle Swimmers
Likkle Swimmers provides free swimming lessons to children in Treasure Beach and recently adults as well. They are taught from a programme designed specifically for their stage of swimming. They not only learn a skill that will save lives, but in doing so it will also improve their self-confidence and independence, thereby benefiting the wider community. We want to take away the fear of water and create fun! Likkle Swimmers has successfully taught over 300 children and adults since 2017, taught by Charlotte and Beccy (swim teachers from England), and 10 local Jamaican teachers too. We have also built some changing rooms next to the pool to provide some privacy and storage for all the amazing equipment! We hope to increase our program each year!
League of Champions Youth Boxing Camp
Supervised directly by former heavy weight champion Lennox Lewis and his wife Violet, LOC Boxing Camps offer intensive development in boxing and life skills to develop the “Next Generation of Champions”. The camps are offered free of charge, and campers receive all meals, basic training gear and the boxing program and techniques used by the Champ and his coaching team. The annual one-week Youth Boxing Camp held at the Treasure Beach Sports Park is designed for underserved youth aged 9 – 17 and strives to instill a high level of discipline, self-esteem and confidence through the world of boxing.
HEART Training
In conjunction with the HEART Trust/NTA - a human employment resource training trust/national training agency - the Breds Treasure Beach Foundation Skills Training Institute was inaugurated on January 27, 2020. The institute, which hopes to train a pool of qualified staff for the surrounding area and south coast in general, offers Level 2 training in the areas of Food and Beverage, Housekeeping and Horticulture. Classes for the 25 students currently enrolled are held weekly in the evenings at the Sports Park with the goal to train at least 60 persons every 8-9 months.
Helping Hands
Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation (HHJF) is a North America-based organization seeking to improve the lives of the next generation of children, young adults and their communities by creating a world-class education system through investment in infrastructure, health, wellness and leadership. Over the years Breds has partnered with Helping Hands to connect with schools in St. Elizabeth in need of improved facilities and additional infrastructure. Since 2006 they have built over 24 new schools, supported more than 50 more, along with providing much needed academic scholarships to many of the highest achieving students, all across the island.
Remedial & Additional Teachers
Breds subsidizes the annual salaries of several additional and remedial teachers at both the Sandy Bank Primary and Basic Schools, as well as the Pedro Plains Primary School.
Saturday Morning Football Program
Weekly Saturday morning football sessions with children 15 years old and under. Featuring drills, friendly matches, strength training and athletic development.
Donation of Computer Tablets
Over 200 computer tablets were donated to schools during the Covid-19 pandemic. Funds were raised through donations from Treasure Beach stakeholders, repeat guests, villa owners and friends of the area. The tablets were distributed to Newell High School, Sandy Bank Primary, and Pedro Plains Primary School.
