GoodHeart | It feels good to help – Lake Anthony

Small in age but big in heart, eight-year-old entertainer Lake Anthony made a heartfelt return to Jamaica, distributing hurricane relief supplies and toys to uplift residents of Black River in St Elizabeth. A talented musician from Chico, California, he was brought to the island by Jam for Jamaica, with support from Food for The Poor Jamaica and the Bob Marley Foundation, for charity give-back efforts in St Elizabeth and a concert in Negril.

“I felt hopeful that I could really help. I felt kindness, love and that it is good to be helping these people who don’t have homes, food, furniture and anywhere to sleep. It just felt good to help them,” Lake Anthony told GoodHeart, adding, “I gave Rubik’s cubes to the kids and furniture to the grownups and sang, it was nice.”

With compassion guiding his mission, Lake Anthony’s visit went beyond his presence. From handing out essential items to sharing moments of joy with children and families still recovering from the hurricane’s aftermath, the young entertainer demonstrated that meaningful change knows no age limit.

Lake Anthony shared with GoodHeart the importance of helping others, stating it is crucial for a better world.

“I really love that people are helping ... my brain is [thinking] like yes this is awesome... . I love the fact that people are putting out their time to do this,” added Lake Anthony, who continues to be fascinated with the Jamaican culture.

Last November, he spearheaded the creation of a web page highlighting charities and organisations providing relief after Hurricane Melissa, giving people a central hub to support these efforts.

Now on his fifth trip to the island, he was shocked to see the damage caused by the hurricane in person.

“I was very shocked when I saw the damage. My brain was like ‘how could a hurricane do this much damage?’; because of course, I [have] never actually [experienced] a hurricane, so I don’t know what it is like,” he stated.

Having already warmed the hearts of people on social media, Lake Anthony went viral at age six when he performed a rendition of Gimmie Likkle One Drop by reggae artiste Tarrus Riley.

As part of the rebuilding efforts, he performed at a free concert on Sunday, describing it as a joy to sing for the locals in Negril.

“I did a concert in the Negril square which was really fun. I like singing a lot, it’s one of my favourite things [to do]. It was fun to do it in Jamaica because of course, I don’t get to do that very often,” he explained.

Encouraging young children like himself to be helpful, Lake Anthony advises them to use the opportunities to make people happy.

“Helping people benefits the world being a better place for everyone. You can be great and use this opportunity to make people happy,” he added.

goodheart@gleanerjm.com