Welfare fund established for sports, entertainment and cultural practitioners on hard times
Published:Wednesday | June 8, 2022 | 5:48 PM
A special welfare fund with a starting value of $20 million has been established to support sports, cultural and entertainment practitioners facing hardship.
Portfolio Minister Olivia 'Babsy' Grange told Parliament this afternoon that the fund will be managed by a committee led by former Jamaica Olympic Association president, Mike Fennell.
State Minister in the Ministry of Health and Wellness and Olympian, Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, will also sit on the committee.
Grange said the fund will be similar to the one set up in 2019 to support survivors of the Coral Gardens incident in 1963. The culture ministry has contributed more than $90 million to the trust, which is managed by the Administrator General of Jamaica.
She says her ministry will partner with the Labour and Social Security Ministry and further details will be announced at the fund's launch.
The minister added that she is also in discussions with the social security arm of her ministry to get money to top up the $20 million she has so far identified.
In the last financial year, the ministry provided $11 million in assistance to retired and active athletes and sports personnel from the welfare fund, through the Sports Development Foundation.
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