Shaggy & Friends Raise J$32 Million For Jamaican Hospital

Dancehall/Reggae entertainer, Orville Burrell, more popularly known as Shaggy, should feel very encouraged as his annual charity event, Shaggy and Friends attained its largest proceeds to date.

This year’s edition of Shaggy and Friends, which took place on January 7 on the lawns of Jamaica House in Kingston, raised over JA$32 million. That tally tops the proceeds made from each of the prior two years of the concert; aimed at funding the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston.  The first edition of Shaggy and Friends raised JA$27 million in 2009 while the 2010 edition reeled in over JA$30 million.

On Monday, Shaggy and his Make a Difference foundationhanded over a cheque, valued at JA$32 million to the Bustamante Hospital. The proceeds will go towards building a new cardiac ward at the hospital, in partnership with the Chain of Hope program. Chain of Hope hails as a group of volunteer nurses and doctors who operate heart procedures on ailing children.

To date, Shaggy and Friends has contributed over 450 pieces of equipment to the Bustamante Hospital for Children, including ventilators, a sterilizing machine, amongst others.