Shaggy & Friends Benefits Concert Set For January 4, 2014
New York, New York – With the closing of a tremendous year, international super star Shaggy is gearing up for the start of an amazing 2014. Commencing with his annual Shaggy and Friends Benefits Concert set to take place on Saturday, January 4 2014 at the Jamaica House.
Shaggy was introduced to the Bustamante Hospital for Children whilst visiting a friend’s son who had been admitted there. He was so moved by what he saw, that he vowed to do whatever he could to make things better there for Jamaica’s children. This visit opened Shaggy’s eyes to the obstacles children are faced with receiving medical care in Jamaica and the region, it being the only full service children’s hospital in the English speaking Caribbean, he resolved that something had to be done in order to improve the conditions there.
Nine years prior to forming Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation, he had personally made donations of medical equipment, which the hospital desperately needed. When asked why he started the Shaggy and Friends Benefits Concerts, Shaggy stated
“My humble donations pale in comparison to the hospital’s true needs list of over US$2,000,000 worth of equipment. On an international scale, that may seem like a humble figure, easily reached in other parts of the world, but the truth is that for a hospital in Jamaica, dependent on public funding, it is a daunting challenge”.
Shaggy & Friends Benefits Concert is an annual event and a united effort, which not many persons could pull off. Annually Shaggy and his team are able to reach out to sponsors, top entertainers in all genres of music and come together to raise funds for the children of Bustamante Hospital in Jamaica.
On January 4, 2014, Shaggy & Friends will stage another remarkable event. With a star studded line up of R&B super star NeYo, Tarrus Riley, Konshens, Chronixx, Elephant Man, Pinchers, Wayne Marshall, Admiral Bailey and making her first appearance since winning The Voice Tessanne Chin are all set to be a part of this remarkable event.
“We are excited every year to see the artists come together and give their time to save a life. Yet, we are even more excited to see the children of Bustamante Children Hospital receive the necessary tools needed to assist with curing their ailments, says Shaggy.
To date Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation has raised over US$1,000,000 (J$90 Million) for the hospital, and has covered the costs for an overall audit to be done on all medical equipment (working or otherwise) at the Bustamante Hospital (June – July, 2012). In addition, the Foundation has donated two (2) new fully equipped dental chairs for the hospital’s Dental Unit, as the existing unit was forced closed for several months due to non-functional dental chairs. Shaggy’s mission is to save the lives of these children and with your help it can be done.
