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Green Globe Newsletter features the Official Reopening of the Negril Library Branch Jamaica: Thursday, July 30, 2009

Green Globe Global's Certification Manager Ms Shey Parry, attended the launch of the new Negril Library, funded by Green Globe member Rockhouse Hotel. Paul Salmon, Chairman of the Rockhouse Foundation and owner of the Rockhouse Hotel addressed delegates on their commitment to social and environmental sustainability, acknowledging their recent Benchmarking achievement and journey towards Certification following the weeks mock audit conducted as part of the Green Globe auditor training workshop. EC3 Global has committed to sponsoring a Green corner in the library, through the provision of educational tools and materials for the community.

On Thursday July 30th the Ribbon Cutting event celebrated the refurbishing and expansion of the Negril Library Branch by the Rockhouse Foundation. There was standing room only at the event Hosted by the Director General of Jamaica Library Services, Patricia Roberts, and featuring a keynote speech from the Jamaican Minister of Education, the Honorable Andrew Holness. Other speakers included the Chairman of the Jamaica Library Board Paul Lalor, Member of Parliament Wykeham Mcneil and our own Peter Rose, President of the Rockhouse Foundation and Paul Salmon, Chairman of the Rockhouse Foundation.

The library is Negril's oldest extant building and housed the original police station. It is located next door to the Negril All Age School and the Negril Basic School, two of the Rockhouse Foundation's previous projects, whose students are amongst the Library's most frequent users. For decades the library has had too little space and resources to meet the growing needs of students and community residents alike. The newly modernized, expanded facility will be almost four times larger, equipped with 15-20 new computers and thousands of new books, a spacious reading room and book stack section, as well as a colorful and engaging junior library.

When the Rockhouse Foundation teamed with the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) and the Negril community some 18 months ago to discuss the proposed library renovation it never imagined what a radically successful process was about to unfold. Armed with an inspired vision jointly crafted with JLS, a committee of local residents, and architects Chris Stone and David Douglass of Cornerstone Design, we broke ground last July and have now handed over a signature addition to the Negril community.

The new, improved library space will be a much needed resource and reflects the Foundation's ambition to support learning for children of all ages. With the completion of the library, the Rockhouse Hotel and Foundation has invested approximately J$100 million in community projects benefiting children since 2004.

Rockhouse Foundation Donates $1.3 Million to Buy Books for Negril Library Kingston(JIS):Friday, March 27, 2009

The Jamaica Library Service (JLS) today (March 26), received $1.3 million from the Rockhouse Foundation, to purchase books for the Negril Branch Library.

The presentation was made at a ceremony at the JLS office, Tom Redcam Drive, Kingston. The funds will assist the Foundation to fulfill its mandate of enabling national development through the creation and support of a knowledge-based society of culturally aware lifelong learners.

The foundation is also refurbishing the Negril Branch Library at a cost of J$30 million. This will be completed by the end of May. President of the Rockhouse Foundation, Mr Peter Rose, shows the architectural design of the Negril Branch Library which is being refurbished. Looking on are Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore and Director General, Jamaica Library Service, Mrs Patricia Roberts. The Foundation today (March 26) handed over a cheque for $1.3 million towards the purchasing of books for the Negril Library.

Some of the work being done on the library include the creation of a significant Junior Library, a new multi-purpose study/project/meeting space with appropriate furniture and learning material, and the installation of a modernized 20-computer technology corner with internet access.

"I want to thank Rockhouse Foundation for bringing this project to fruition," JLS Director General, Patricia Roberts, said as she paid tribute to the Foundation for the support. Director General, Jamaica Library Service Mrs Patricia Roberts makes a point, as Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore and President of the Rockhouse Foundation, Mr Peter Rose listen, during the ceremony at the JLS, Tom Redcam Drive, Kingston, at which the Foundation handed over a cheque valued at $1.3 million towards the purchasing of books for the Negril Branch Library today(March 26).

Mrs. Roberts said when the library is fully refurbished it would represent where the JLS is headed, in terms of its vision.

"I am very pleased and I really like what the library is going to look like when they are finished. It is not everything that, when you put pen to paper, comes out exactly how you would like it," Mrs. Roberts commented.

Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, Councilor Bertel Moore, said that he was pleased with what the Rockhouse Foundation has been doing at the Negril Parish Library.

"I want to see more business places in Negril do things like these for the community. I can tell you for sure that, as soon as this library is open, you will see more people going there, day in and day out," Mr. Moore said.

In his remarks, President of the Rockhouse Foundation, Mr. Peter Rose, noted that the refurbishing of the library was a collaborative effort with the community, the Jamaica Library Service, the Westmoreland Parish Council, and local Kingston architects Cornerstone Design.

"They deserve tremendous credit for the design that is not only pretty to look at, but is functional and is going to be a fantastic space for children of all ages," he said.

"We felt it was important not just to create a wonderful space for wonderful literature, information and access to a world that children so desperately need, but also to establish an ongoing relationship with both the local library branch and the Jamaica Library Service," Mr. Rose stated.

Since its inception in 2003 the Rockhouse Foundation, which was established by the Rockhouse Hotel to help children in the Negril area, has fully renovated and expanded the Negril All-Age School and the Negril Basic School. At the completion of the library in 2009, the Foundation would have invested over US$1 million in projects and support programs.

Air Jamaica's in-flight video Island Stylee (Winter 2008/09) Features The Rockhouse Foundation

Air Jamaica's In–flight award winning video presentation, Island Stylee, profiles the Rockhouse Foundation and its work for the Jamaican community. The feature takes a look at the projects the Foundation undertakes with interviews from the President of the Foundation, the General Manager of the Rockhouse Hotel, and members of the Negril community, giving life to the very real positive impact the Foundation has made.

The Beach Times, Jamaica Jive
For some, philanthropy and social awareness begins with an epiphany. For Australian Paul Salmon that moment was on Wall Street when, as a young immigrant trader, Paul was struck by how a fellow American trader was trying to figure out how to give 10 percent of his earnings to charity. "I grew up in an environment where charity began by giving your neighbor's son a dollar or two for a sponsored swim," he says. Twenty years later, Paul has refined that enlightenment and manifested it as a founding principle as Chairman of the Rockhouse Foundation.

The Rockhouse Foundation is an extension of the Jamaican boutique hotel, the Rockhouse Hotel, Paul owns together with five other partners. From the beginning, the hotel had aimed for a philosophy of sensible development alongside a developing economy. The programs of the foundation found their roots when the partners bought the hotel in 1994, already a well known destination for the funky and free of the 1970's, the Rolling Stones among them. In the early years the hotel focused it's donations on a government yard in Kingston's Trenchtown, the poverty stricken capital of Jamaica. Yards are the communal space in the center of the shanty towns that grew from the devastating 1951 Hurricane Charlie. After a few years of targeted donations and getting the hang of the art of giving, a local school came to their attention. The Negril All Ages School had a breakfast program that had been underwritten by a USAID program. In 2002 this was about to expire. Paul and his colleagues stepped in to underwrite the program, guaranteeing all the kids started the day on a full stomach.

"As we developed our relationships with this aspect of the community we started to understand their great needs," he said. "Then it steam rolled as the relationship grew so we decided to formalize it." The Rockhouse Foundation was registered in late 2003 in the US as a 501 (c)(3) non profit, its stated goal: To improve the human condition of children by combating endemic poverty in Jamaica. Lofty goals indeed! "We registered in the USA partly because we recognized that the target donors were US-based. We really didn't want to concentrate on local fund raising because we felt that was diverting important funds when we had access to a different pool." In the intervening years, the foundation has raised an average of $120,000 a year and has developed a unique database and operating principles well beyond its profile. While programs such as this are not unique, the breadth of its relationships might well be. The foundation has partnered with USAID, the Negril Chamber of Commerce, the Peace Corps and the US Embassy.

The hotel itself, while deriving no direct benefits, underwrites all administrative costs of the foundation. This ensures every cent of the donations can be applied directly to programs and make it to the front line. "We work hard to make targeted donations by creating capital programs" said Paul. "Last year, we integrated and upgraded the pre-school, the Negril Basic School, which sits on the adjacent property, in addition to adding a cafeteria and new bathrooms to the All Age School." Next year they plan to upgrade the library, which is the oldest building in Negril and formerly a police station. The partners work hard to keep the entities separate, even though they operate the hotel with a similar community involvement philosophy to that of the foundation. Paul said "We try not to push the foundation on our guests, but we are finding that while there are the clients who simply want to come to Jamaica and enjoy a romantic getaway, others also want to get involved in directly supporting the community." He hopes over time that this will continue to evolve.

The hotel tries to make sure the wealth is spread. Staff is encouraged to think in the big picture and see the future as they might wish it for themselves. Several aspire to move north for jobs and opportunity. Others are happy at the Rock House and have risen through the ranks to positions of responsibility.

Looking to the future, the members of the foundation and its chairman hope to take on more schools and expand its operations and perhaps even its mode of operation "We really have developed a lot of knowledge, acquired through hard lessons," says Paul, "but what is really interesting to me is having a hotel that has a positive impact on the community."

Caribbean Travel & Life
True to the One Love philosophy of universal brotherhood, the owners of the Rockhouse Hotel created the nonprofit Rockhouse Foundation to battle poverty in both rural and inner-city Jamaica. The charity's inaugural project raised $160,000 to construct 1,200 square feet of new classroom space and update existing facilities at the Negril All Age School. The hotel underwrites all the administrative expenses of the foundation, ensuring that every dime donated goes directly to benefit local Jamaicans.
Caribbean Travel & Life, "Big Heart Love,"

Design Hotel Directions
Another great initiative is the Rockhouse Foundation, which gets its name from a hotel that was built on the cliffs overlooking Pristine Cove in Negril, Jamaica. It is an authentic retreat with thatched bungalows and an infinity pool, where the reggae plays and life can indeed be sweet. Unfortunately, life is not always so idyllic for the local population. Children are often the most vulnerable: they end up in overcrowded schools or don't get an education at all. They are deprived of the tools and skills that would allow them to secure better futures for themselves and their community. Recognizing the affliction - as well as the potential - of the island's youngest citizens, Paul Salmon and his three partners set up the Rockhouse Foundation in 2003. With a firm belief that "education is the pathway to productivity and self-determination," the Foundation delivers the means to prevent childhood poverty.
Directions, Design Hotels Semi-annual Magazine

London Magazine
The running costs of the Rockhouse Foundation, an American-based charity, are paid for by a hotel - also called the Rockhouse - a few miles along the coast. One might assume that a stay at a hotel so steeped in charity work is an ascetic experience or an exercise in worthiness. It is nothing of the sort. The Rockhouse is the best in the area - such a luxurious and guilt-free experience that whenever I venture outside and tell people where I am staying, I am met with envy. The foundation is the reason why the school, once dangerously dilapidated and overcrowded, and with a pupil-teacher ratio of 75:1, is the sunny, well-resourced place it is today. Being at the Rockhouse is like being welcomed into a large extended family. The hotel's contribution to the fine work at Negril All Age School only fosters the feeling of warmth and kinship one feels. And if one can combine a wonderful few days in the sun with a tiny contribution to the children of the people who make the place so hospitable, what could be better?
London Magazine, "Class Conscious: Stay in one of Jamaica's dreamiest hotels and you can help educate the local children"

Negril Guide
Paul Salmon, chairman of Rockhouse Hotel, also chairs Rockhouse Foundation, which adopted the Negril All Age School. "Our objective was not just a hotel, but also to be responsible investors in a developing economy like Jamaica's. . . responsible to the guests. . . the environment. . . the staff. . . .and the community"

In 2004, the foundation worked with school, chamber of commerce and government officials to construct 1,200 square feet of new classroom space and to install new electrical service, roofing, doors, windows, paint, fencing and furnishings. They also got the U.S. Agency International Development to donate money, the U.S. Embassy to donate computers and the Peace Corps to donate a volunteer.

How does all this involvement and the success of the foundation make Paul Salmon feel? "All the partners at the Rockhouse we have tremendous pride and sense of achievement. The best thing you can do in life is helping people. But there's so much more to do."
Negril Guide, "Visitors become investors; Rockhouse adopts school"

NY Lawyers
Pro bono attorneys Anne-Marie Shelley and Sheila Peluso at member firm Chadbourne & Parke have made a continuing commitment of time and legal expertise to a new foundation dedicated to helping children in Jamaica.

Rockhouse approached NYPLI in the fall of 2003, hoping to formalize and expand their fundraising capacity by creating a New York non-profit. They were also interested in a longer-term relationship with an attorney, hoping to find someone who would serve as pro bono general counsel. Chadbourne attorneys Anne-Marie Shelley and Sheila Peluso were excited by the opportunity to work with a client in a more extended way. "It is very rewarding to become involved with a client such as Rockhouse because we can assist the group with its short-term and long-term legal needs and see tangible results as Rockhouse pursues its mission," said Sheila.

"The Chadbourne team has been amazingly supportive," said Paul Salmon, Rockhouse Foundation President. "They have brought skills to the table and have made the whole process straightforward."

"It is a real opportunity for us to use our skills as attorneys for the benefit of such a great cause," said Anne-Marie.
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, "Pro Bono Works - Chadbourne & Parke,"