The Jamaica Strong Benefit Concert, held on Dec. 12, 2025, at UBS Arena in Queens, raised more than $500,000 in net ticket proceeds to support relief and recovery efforts in Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.
On Monday, Jan. 5, George Crooks, CEO of Jammins Events, announced the results.
He described the funds as “a unified humanitarian response from the global Jamaican Diaspora.”
Crooks emphasized that the concert was driven by “a shared sense of responsibility to help Jamaica rebuild in the wake of the storm’s destruction.”
Crooks emphasized that the concert was driven by “a shared sense of responsibility to help Jamaica rebuild in the wake of the storm’s destruction.”
Bobby Clarke, co-founder of the Irie Jam Foundation, added that “proceeds from the event will be distributed among several trusted organizations.”
The allocations, he said, include $150,000 each to Shaggy’s Make a Difference Foundation, the Sean Paul Foundation, and the Government of Jamaica Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund, along with US$50,000 to the Irie Jam Foundation to assist with the repair and rebuilding of primary schools in the County of Cornwall, one of the areas hardest hit.
“By directing funds to both national and community-based organizations, we are ensuring that support reaches persons, families, and communities where the need is most immediate and the impact most meaningful,” Clarke continued, noting that nearly 10,000 patrons packed UBS Arena, “underscoring the deep engagement of Jamaicans abroad and friends of the island who came together in solidarity.”
Kacy Rankine, CEO of RoadBlock Radio, highlighted how “Caribbean artists donated their time and talent, using music and culture as vehicles for unity, healing, and advocacy during a moment of national crisis.”
“We express gratitude to sponsors, patrons, media partners, volunteers, the wider Caribbean Diaspora, and the artists whose generosity made the initiative possible,” he said.
“Conceived as an urgent call to action during a national crisis, the concert was designed to achieve two critical objectives: increased global attention to the human toll of Hurricane
“Conceived as an urgent call to action during a national crisis, the concert was designed to achieve two critical objectives: increased global attention to the human toll of Hurricane
Melissa and mobilize meaningful financial support for communities working to rebuild,” Rankine added. “Both aims were decisively realized.”
The New York–based cultural and media organizations, including Irie Jam Radio, the Irie Jam Foundation, Jammins Events, and RoadBlock Radio organized the concert.
