Team Jamaica Bickle kicks off Penn Relays fund-raising campaign

In an bid to raise over US$100,000 which will go towards assisting with various expenses for teams taking part in this month's Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) kicked off their fund-raising campaign on Monday, at the Alhambra Inn Hotel.

Local as well as other Caribbean athletes from Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent and the Grenadines are set to benefit from TJB's sponsorship programme.

The TJB, which raised US$70,000 last year, has attracted one new sponsor in telecommunication company LIME, which will help to provide the athletes with airfare, hotel accommodation, meals and transportation costs.

Erwin Clare, chief executive officer and co-founder of the TJB, said his organisation is committed to helping with the sport across the region. He is thankful for the support that they have received from the sponsors.

happy with sponsorship

"We are very happy with the sponsorship because we need money to support our athletes," said Clare, while not disclosing the amount of LIME's sponsorship. We have to engage entities like LIME, which has a responsibility to the diaspora because it is a market place that they have interest in."

Clare added that his organisation will also be hosting other fund-raising events in New York in the coming weeks.

"In the United States, we live as one Caribbean and we can't speak about insularity and do nothing about it," he said.

"Jamaica has paved the way for many of these Caribbean teams to be participating at the Penn Relays and when we go down the street, we are not looked at as Jamaicans, we are looked at as Caribbean Americans," said Clare.

Stephen Price, regional special project manager of LIME, said his company was very happy to be partnering with the TJB.

"We have had a strong reach into athletics this year from Boys and Girls' Champs to LIME CARIFTA Games and so we saw it only fitting to partner with our high schools athletes to the Penn Relays and to ensure that we are there with them supporting them and supporting their meal programmes along with team Bickle," said Price.

Noel Greeland, vice president of marketing, GraceKennedy Money Services Limited, which has been a sponsor of TJB for the past 12 years, said his company was happy to be associated with TJB in what he describes as a worthwhile venture.

"It started because Team Jamaica Bickle needed to expand its reach to facilitate the aiding of just about all the Jamaica schools that go to Penn Relays every year," Greenland said.

"We always wanted to ensure that those persons representing Jamaica do well and so it doesn't matter which of the schools they are from because we are all Jamaicans," Greenland added.