Newport Polo Club in Portsmouth, Rhode Island is as far as you could get from inner city Kingston. But a few weeks ago the club featured an exciting match between the USA and Jamaica and served as the venue for IFOJ’s 2nd annual polo charity event. The event saw patrons from Massachusetts and Rhode Island coming out to support the IFOJ’s Jamaican high school scholarship fund, while enjoying an evening of high class polo, good music and tasty hors d'oeuvres. The affluent island-town sits next to iconic Newport, and is home of the Newport Polo Club. Every summer the wide open green plain is abuzz with weekly polo matches, pitting the likes of Argentina, England and South Africa against the USA. Hours before each game the field and stands are filled with tastefully dressed attendees feasting on fine food and parading an amazing array of dogs while playing games as the highly intelligent horses pranced and galloped through their paces.
The Jamaica v USA match was apropos for a Jamaican charity event. The island team has been a crowd favorite for years, winning over the Portsmouth crowd with their exciting skills and warm, friendly spirit. Throw in non-stop reggae music and a jerk chicken dinner, and it was a true Jamaican event. Last year the IFOJ team, comprising Derek Popp, Kasey Popp and Easton Dickson, took advantage of the event to launch a successful charity event by inviting friends and family to the match. In exchange for an extra contribution above the gate charge, they were treated to a rich spectacle of high class polo, fun-filled picnic atmosphere and tasty snacks.
Thanks to the generosity of many friends and family members the IFOJ is better positioned to offer scholarships to more students in Jamaica’s most needy communities. We want to extend special thanks to our friends that did not attend the event but made a contribution. Thank you! The Foundation is always eager to accept additional support to further this critical mission of educating Jamaica’s youths. Please consider becoming a trustee or volunteer. Spread the word of our work to your friends and family, and if possible, please make a donation to our scholarship fund via the secure PayPal link on our website www.intellectualfoundationofjamaica.org.
