TJB Forges B2B 50×50 Fundraising Relay Partnership

New York:New York based Team Jamaica Bickle (TJB) has stepped up its fundraising efforts, by forging alliances with Diaspora based businesses to launch the ‘TJB Business to Business (B2B) 50×50 relay.’ The TJB B2B 50×50 Relay is being initiated to engage businesses, and form a coalition of support from all sectors of the community, while driving enthusiasm for the Penn Relays experience.

The goal of the campaign is to bring a core group of fifty community businesses together in an effort to raise the targeted amount of fifty ($50,000) thousand dollars. These funds will strengthen Team Jamaica Bickle’s programs for Penn Relays 2011 thru 2012, culminating in the 2012 Olympics. The relay expresses an each-one-bring-one effort.

Each business owner is being asked to commit a minimum of five ($500.00) hundred dollars to kick start the effort and bring a fellow business to the table. A TJB B2B 50×50 collection container will also be placed in each business location so that members of the public can make their donations.

Irwine Clare and Howard Hylton of Jamaica Air Express Couriers recently launched the program in New York, with Dahved Levy, host of the Arbitron rated (#1) Caribbean Show, Caribbean Fever, on New York urban station, 107.5 FM, WBLS. Dahved has also been tapped to be campaign spokesman.

Appealing to the Caribbean community, Clare spoke of the importance of the program and the need for expansion into the wider Caribbean Diaspora.

“We have for 17 years, had a presence at the Penn Relay Carnival, providing transportation, meals and other amenities over the 3 day carnival. It is a huge operation and we rely solely on fundraisers, and donations from the community. For the past 2-3 years we have hosted groups from Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados, under the Team Jamaica Bickle Umbrella and we are fielding requests as we speak from other Caribbean countries. As we expand the program it is therefore timely that we engage the entire Caribbean Diaspora. We have some fantastic team fundraising ideas in store and cannot wait to get started raising money for this incredible cause.”

Howard Hylton, who through his company, Jamaica Air Express Couriers, approached Team Jamaica Bickle with the B2B concept, stated: “For years we have watched the stellar work being done by Irwine and his team of volunteers. Although we have as a company contributed to the program, we felt that a more tangible contribution would be to engage the wider business community through the B2B model. It’s very important to have companies that give back to the community as it can help with so many things and make a great social impact. I believe that the B2B model is the perfect fit for the Team Jamaica Bickle program.”

Several local businesses have pledged support for the program; Jamaica Air Express Couriers, (lead partner) Health Conscious, Vegan Delight and Sams Caribbean Marketplace; local Restaurants: Super Wings, The Door, Footprints and Port Royal are all on board.

Media partners are Dahved Levy/Caribbean Fever 107.5 FM WBLS (campaign spokesman), and caribbeanfever.com, Caribbean Lifestyle Television (CLM), channel 73, and ImagesNewsletter.com. Other local media entities are scheduled to come on board. Team Jamaica Bickle will also be running a series of PSA’s, the first of which will be voiced by popular reggae singer Ed “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” Robinson, in continuous promotion of the campaign.