Interview by Kaci Hamilton

Why were you drawn to help the children at the Bustamante Children’s Hospital?
I’ve been involved with the Bustamante Children’s Hospital for the last eight years, since I went with my friend, Tony Kelly, who was there visiting his child. It is the only children’s hospital in the English-speaking Caribbean.

So, what inspired you to start the Shaggy Foundation?
Everything was on impulse. I started helping out at the hospital, and during a visit to open a park we had started, I met an 8-year-old girl with a bullet in her head. One of the machines she was hooked up to was one I had bought. I then decided to put on a concert, to help with raising awareness and funding. I didn’t know how to throw concerts, but I knew who to call, and got on the phone with people like Sharon Burke of Solid Agency, William Mahfood from Wisynco, Walter Elmore of TurnKey Productions, Scotiabank and Digicel. And everything started from there.

You raised J$27 million (US$303,000) last year and hope to raise J$50 million (US$562,000) this year, will the money go toward more medical equipment, or are there other plans?
We have a “needs” list of equipment that totals US$2 million, and we have only just started to dent that fi gure. So, yes, we still need equipment, and it is our main focus at this time. Where do you see the Foundation in fi ve years? Hopefully, we will have provided the hospital with US$2 million worth of necessary equipment. There are, nevertheless, still many things that need to be done. We have an intensive care unit (ICU) that houses only four or fi ve beds, and many more are needed. We want to work towards making Bustamante the premiere paediatric facility, so that our neighbouring islands can utilize it also. Hopefully, we can see a clearer way towards that goal by then.

Any plans to do something on an international level?
There are big companies outside of Jamaica that have budgets set aside for international use, so fundraising can be done by one company at a time. I would also like to start involving big international names that have ties to Jamaica: Naomi Campbell, Usain Bolt, Lennox Lewis, straight up to Colin Powell, to help focus on the cause. Hopefully in the future, we can, as there have been offers to take the ‘Shaggy and Friends’ event to New York and Miami.

Is there a particular individual in your life that drives you?
I am a very self-driven person— I have always been like that. No one has to tell me to do something, once I am passionate about it. My ‘better half’ shares my passions; as well as people like Sharon Burke, my tour manager; Paul ‘Rossi’ Lee, my manager; Robert Livingston, William Mahfood, Debbie Clue, Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility at Scotiabank; and a lot of the key sponsors of ‘Shaggy and Friends’, so they are also a part of my drive.

What accomplishment are you most proud of in your career?
I still think to this day, the Diamond Record Award [10 million records] in sales is my proudest achievement because no one in dancehall has beaten it yet. I sincerely hope someone does some day. But fi rst, we need to get back to the business of music, align ourselves with brands and sponsors, make this business of reggae a money-making force. My grandma always said, ‘Never work fi the award, work fi the reward, ’cause the award will sit on your mantel and collect dust, but the reward you can cash.’

Help Them Reach The Goal
Donate to Shaggy's Make A Difference Foundation. www.shaggyfoundation.org