Musical artiste Nolan has joined Irie Jam Radio’s annual Christmas toy drive, which will this year benefit the children of the Maxfield Park Children’s Home in Jamaica.
The artiste visited the headquarters of Irie Jam in Jamaica, Queens recently, where he presented a check to General Manager Amber Clarke to assist in the purchasing of toys, books, schoolbags, and other supplies for the young residents of the home in time for the holiday season.
Irie Jam began its annual toy drive several years ago in New York and has donated thousands of dollars’ worth of toys and gifts to children in Queens over the years, thanks to donations from its staff, listeners and well-wishers. This year the decision was made to extend the drive beyond American borders to Jamaica for the first time, by making Maxfield Park the beneficiaries.
Founded in 1918, the Maxfield Park Children’s Home is the oldest and largest childcare facility in Jamaica, housing nearly 100 youth between infancy and age 18 who have been deemed by the state to be in need of special care.
According to Clarke, Irie Jam believes the time has come to have those in Jamaica benefit from the love and support of the many individuals and entities who have made the drive a success in New York.
“It is always our goal at Irie Jam to act as a conduit for the diaspora to give back to Jamaica whenever and however we can,” she says. “And taking the toy drive to the Maxfield Park Children’s Home is yet another example of doing exactly this.”
In thanking Nolan, she indicated that his contribution will be extremely valuable when put to use once she arrives in Jamaica several days later, where a significant amount of the supplies will be purchased.
In his own remarks, Nolan responded that his passion for both children and for the people of Jamaica made his decision to join the drive a very easy one.
“Growing up as a Jewish kid in the Brooklyn projects, Christmas held a special fascination for me,” he says. “We didn’t really celebrate the season or put up a tree as so many others did, due to our faith. And so I’d go over to one of my best friend’s houses to get a taste of Christmas and help his family with their tree and so on, whenever I could. So anything I can do to make the season brighter for a child anywhere, I’m happy to do. And as I continue along my musical journey, embracing reggae as my chosen genre of expression, I do continue to feel closer to the people of Jamaica. So wherever I can help in making even a small difference there, I absolutely will.”
Nolan’s first reggae single and music video Truth B’ Told, on which he collaborated with the mostly Jamaican, all female reggae band International Women in Reggae, has racked up thousands of likes and views on You Tube and other social media platforms since its official release in October.
