Well folks, I am shocked. I am stunned. I am ecstatic!! Together we raised more than $123,000 which will be used to support several St. John organizations … how amazing is that??!!
The 2019 News of St. John raffle was our best one yet, and that is thanks to all of you … just over 2,500 of you to be exact! Some of you bought one ticket; one person even bought 40! I am so grateful to each and every one of you. Thank you!!
Love City Community Network needed $27,000 to complete its funding request to install 911 call boxes, complete with AEDs, on six North Shore beaches including Hawknest, Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay (one at each end of the beach) and in the Annaberg area. We transferred $27,000 into their account Saturday morning.
C.O.R.E., the Caribbean Oceanic Restoration and Education Foundation, needed $12,000 to repair its vessel so it could resume the removal of lionfish from the off-shore reefs in the 40′ to 100′ range. We transferred $12,000 into their account on Saturday.
The Love City Pan Dragons needed $4,500 so they could purchase new uniforms, and pay for travel expenses relating to pan tuning plus the pan tuning itself. We transferred $4,500 into their account on Saturday.
The St. John Historical Society needed $3,000 so it could complete its “Our History Keepers” video project. We transferred $3,000 into their account on Saturday.
The St. John Christian Academy requested numerous items including a new LED sign which would be used for school announcements and to get better visibility from the roadway, water dispensers, flutes, basketball hoops and various school supplies. We’re in the process of ordering those items for the school. The cost of these items will be roughly $5,000
The Julius E. Spruave School is still completing its list of needs. Once we receive them, we will purchase them. We are budgeting at least $5,000 for these items.
Island Health and Wellness would like to start a pediatric program for the children of St. John. We will be making a substantial donation of more than $20,000 to help make that plan a reality.
And lastly, the Carolina Corral is in need of basic support. In February, 100 bags of feed and 60 hay bales cost $3,242. Dana Bartlett, the owner-operator of the corral, estimated that it costs roughly $100 a day to feed the animals at the corral. We’re hoping to pay for food for these animals for one year.
Once all of the items are purchased and delivered, we will let you know exactly where every dollar raised went!
I often joke that I am just a “little blog” and that “I’m simply a girl who blogs from her couch with her dog in the Caribbean.” Well this little blog, which is currently being typed from my couch while my dog snoozes beside me, is actually quite a thing I’ve learned over the past few years! And that’s not thanks to me, it’s thanks to all of you! Your love and support for this island is awe-inspiring. You were here for us during the good ol’ days, you were here for us during our darkest days, and you continue to be here for us during our encore. And please do not think that it has gone unnoticed, because it hasn’t. Again, thank you.
I am so appreciative for each and every one of you, and I know that many others living here on St. John feel the same. You all are just as much a part of this island as we are. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship that I am proud to be a part of.
Now I am sure you are all wondering who the winners are, right??!! We plan to announce the 12 winners live on our Facebook page (as long as the internet cooperates) Tuesday, April 2nd at 6 p.m. We will post the winners here on News of St. John immediately afterward.
Again, thank you all so very much! You have truly outdone yourselves this time!
Much love,
Jenn xoxo
Jenn we are so happy to have connected with you. We did purchase raffle tickets and maybe we will be back sooner than next year. Fingers crossed. Glad yo see where the monies will go.
Awesome Job Everyone !!!
Thanks dad!
PS: A woman I met walking asked about you today … you’re still famous!! xoxo
That is awesome news! Jenn it does take a village to get things done! Thank you for all you do and have done! So glad we got to spend a fun day with you in February!
You should do this a couple more times this year! Hopefully this will help a lot of
things get done on St John!
!
Amazing ! So many wonderful organizations will receive much needed support, especially Carolina Corral for our precious island animals. Great job, Jenn!
Jenn, fantastic job and great organizations and people that you donated to. Thank you.
AWESOME!!!!
That is great news!
So happy to see the goodness in peoples hearts. Amazing how we all feel about SJ and how eager we are to give to the island that has given us all so much. Hope to return again soon.
This is great news. It is exciting to hear of all the great organizations this money will help!! Thanks for this update!
Hi there!
I’m guessing your dad is sitting a bit taller tonight…. so proud of his little girl that has done so much good for others. I always said that if I could only pick one trait to teach my children, it would be compassion. Thanks for using your role to impact the lives of so many 2 and 4 legged creatures!
It does take a village to keep the community strong.
Thanks for organizing this and using your blog to help so many.
Sincerely,
Lisa
Jen,
Kudos to you. as well as gratitude of all st.johnians for the hard work you did to make this fundraiser such a success. Thank you and WELL DONE.
Thank you for all your good work.
Love hearing how the raffle money was distributed! Love the people of St. John! Thank you to all the people who donated the prizes!
Wow! What an amazing fund raiser! Congratulations to you and to everyone who contributed to help make these dreams come true! Great job!!!!
A good Raffle (ie: newsofstjohn.com) is a win-win for all. Love for Love City reveals itself on
island and around the world. Congrats to all who will be announced as prize winners, but mostly thanks to you, Jenn, and all the generous prize donors. St. John is beautiful inside & out!!!
Wonderful!!!! This was a marvelous event to raise funds and thanks for the breakdown of distribution.
Great job!
Hi Jenn, I did not buy a ticket due to restraints of getting to the Island had I won any of the wonderful prizes…but I do want to contribute. Is there a GoFundMe I can donate to? Thanks ~ Dawn
You can send a donation via PayPal to [email protected] and it will go into the raffle escrow account. Thanks!!
Amazing!
Great job Jenn and everyone who participated monies generated could not go to any better causes! Thank you Jenn for all you do in keeping us connected to our little jewel in the Caribbean.
So heartwarming to read this! Thank you Jenn! That girl with a little blog knocks it out of the park again. Well done!!
I meant to thank all of the generous donors or prizes too!!!
It takes a village !!!! Nice job for sure……
Well Done!
This makes my heart smile. I love when good people come together to help others. No government. No bureaucracy. Just good people quietly doing good things. 🙂
Wait, what? did I not win??
Jenn, I’m happy and proud of all the St. John lovers who have supported their little paradise. But I’m not surprised by the amount. Why? Because it has been shown over and over again just how much we love the people, the places, the spirit of St. John! It shows what good can happen when we all come together. And I want to thank you for being the catalyst of this wonderful event and all the generous people who donated to it. The world could learn a valuable lesson from this little rock!
Thank you Jenn and everyone for all this generosity and good will. If there is any money left over, would you consider supporting the effort to fix the Gifft Hill ball field, ruined by malicious vandals about 2 weeks ago? It is the only usable ball field on St John and has been open to (and used by) the entire community. Play spaces are important. The GoFundMe account that was set up has stalled at about $5,000, or half of its goal. Thank you.
I was told tonight that the field has been repaired.
That would be a miracle if true. The artificial turf was ripped up and the surface underneath it was left with ridges and ruts, requiring re-leveling before new turf can be installed. And one of the beautiful new professional-size soccer goals was destroyed. Repair costs were estimated at $10K or more. Please investigate. Thanks.
I bought a ticket and I am thrilled to see that the money has gone directly to the beneficiaries. I check my News of St John Daily, and i think it is a great operation. Congratulations, Jenn !
I want to first of all thank Jenn and her husband for bringing the corral into their tours and seeing fur themselves the animals who call it home. I also want to thank the villa owners and managers who so graciously offered their homes as the prizes they already are. Love for Love City continues on in the hearts and minds of many with every little bit making a difference.
Woot woot
Holy cow! I’m amazed by what you did – well done!
Jenn…the tears are on for what you’ve done, and especially for “You all are just as much a part of this island as we are. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship that I am proud to be a part of”. A large part of my heart is there always, and..can’t wait to visit it again,for my ’29th birthday’ (since 1990) there (since a birthday doesn’t count, if not at home —my theory), I hope that this much older looking STJ lover will meet you!