MoBay Night Run hones in on Anchovy recovery

Western Jamaica’s road runners will lace up with purpose, as the third staging of the MoBay Night Run 5K Run/Walk turns its focus to restoring hope to the nearly 800 students of Anchovy High School, who are still fighting to recover from Hurricane Melissa’s devastation.

The commitment was announced at Tuesday’s media launch at Pier 1 Restaurant where The Howard Ward Benefit Foundation unveiled plans for the Easter Weekend showdown set for Saturday, April 4, at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay.

Director Howard Ward said that while no fixed financial target has been set, millions of dollars will be needed to help the displaced students rebuild and recover.

“When I saw the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, I said ‘we have to pivot a little bit from just a scholarship, but actually get kids back to school.’ Recovery was in full effect but our schools were lagging behind, being badly affected. We reached out to the principal of Anchovy High, Dr Lavern Stewart, and she welcomed us with open arms and invited us on a tour,” said Ward.

“We can imagine what it’s like across Jamaica, so my aim is to see how I can help to bridge that gap. Even if it means it’s from Ward’s Power Tools, but it will be in the millions,” added Ward.

Set to begin at 7 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m. warm-up, the night run is shaping up to be more than a race, it is a community-powered movement blending fitness, family fun, and philanthropy.

With 5,000 participants flooding the streets last year, this year’s renewal promises another high-tempo night of racing along a revamped route, blending speed, spirit and solidarity in a powerful show of support for young students in need.

The pre-carnival atmosphere, complete with entertainment, will have a kiddies’ village, food court, and prizes, all designed to maximise turnout and channel support where it is needed most.

IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE SUPPORT

Meanwhile, Stewart emphasised the importance of corporate support, especially from philanthropists like Ward, to ease the strain of the rebuilding process and support students who have faced multiple challenges, including the impact of COVID-19.

“The devastation was quite severe, especially from our Dr Fidel Castro campus, which is our junior campus. It houses our grades seven and eight students, and that enrolment is about 757 students,” said Stewart.

Stewart noted that based on what has happened to all of those students, she had to relocate them to the main campus, compromising the smooth learning experience of those students.

“The students, especially the ones in grade 11 now, would have been the ones who were most severely affected when they were in grade six when COVID hit in 2020. So, there is another devastation at both ends of each of those milestones, they are experiencing a devastating event,” added Stewart.

Ward underscored that investing in education is critical to safeguarding Jamaica’s future, noting that strengthening the nation’s youth is key to long-term social stability.

“The children are the future of Jamaica, and with all these shining structures going up, if we don’t have the human asset, the human capital resources for our children, then we are going to have a failing city,” said Ward.

“If we don’t educate our nation, we will have anarchy, so we have to build from the ground up,” added Ward.

Participants will be blasting off from Harmony Beach Park, running along Howard Cooke Boulevard towards Alice Eldemire Drive, before making a turnaround at the Montego Bay Freeport Police Station and returning to the park.