Sat 12/20 @ 4-10PM
Cleveland’s #1 reggae fan/DJ/concert promoter Packy Malley has always had a special connection to Jamaica, starting with his passion for the island’s signature music, and he made many visits there over the years. So when he joined the Peace Corps a few years ago, thinking it would be interesting to go someplace he’d never been, it wasn’t surprising when they told him “You’d be a perfect fit for Jamaica!”
He spent a couple of years working in the village of Coleyville, helping to improve its agricultural production, and was set to go back in July after a trip home to Cleveland when he had some health issues. They’ve cleared up and he’s scheduled to return to Jamaica in January. So he wasn’t on the island when Cat. 5 Hurricane Melissa, the strongest recorded hurricane in the Caribbean, struck in late October and left devastation in its wake, including 48 dead in Jamaica.
He tells us now “The people of Jamaica need our help. I served in the Peace Corps in Jamaica from 2023–2025, and I remain closely connected with my host family, community, friends, Peace Corps staff, volunteers, and my local farmers’ group. The areas where I lived will not have electricity until the well into the new year. I plan to return to Jamaica in January and will be based in Mandeville, in the middle of the country. I am currently completing a 16-week EMT course at Tri-C. The need on the island is enormous—clean water, food, hygiene kits, roofing supplies, medical items, and other basic essentials. While global organizations and many church groups are helping, local communities still urgently need support.”
So he’s doing what he often does on his visits home: he’s hosting a benefit to raise funds to help his Jamiacan family and friends and their community. He’s gathered a wide range of his musical friends including Cleveland’s best-known reggae musician Carlos Jones, folk singer Alex Bevan, Jim Miller of the JiMillerBand, pop-soul actor/dancer/singer/songwriter Mariama Whyte, reggae artists JR Blessington and Milton Blake, the Umojah Nation reggae group and PC3 Jazz Trio.
It takes place at the West Side Irish American Club in Olmsted Falls. Tickets include food from Jojo Carloni’s Italian Restaurant in Berea; there will be a cash bar. Get tickets here or make donations here. https://account.venmo.com/u/packy-malley
jamaica-hurricane-benefit-holiday-gathering