Jamaica News

The Rotary Race To Literacy Book Drive Project, a service project of the 36th Annual Rotary District 7020 Conference to be held in Kingston, Jamaica, has broken the world record for most books donated to charity in seven days.

Inspired by the 2008 Rotary International Convention in LA, where Rotarians set the record in the Guinness Book of World Records having 242,624 books donated over a seven day period, the Rotary Clubs of Jamaica set about their own book drive beginning on May 1, and as of May 4 (4 days into the seven day campaign), 627,248 books had been donated. Significantly the world record was actually broken on the very first day, when 270,456 books were donated.

The collected books will be donated to the people of Jamaica and Haiti. In Jamaica, the primary recipient will be the Jamaica Library Service with its island-wide network of branch, school and mobile libraries. The primary recipient in Haiti will be determined by Rotary at an appropriate time. More information is available at rotaryracetoliteracy.org

July 2, 1946 – Jamaican Herb McKenley, running for the University of Illinois in a special Amateur Athletic Union track meet, sets a new world record for the 300-yard run, clocking 29 and eight-tenths seconds to beat the old record of 30 and two-tenths seconds which had been set in April 1921 by Charles Paddock.

July 2, 1968 – The youth organization of the People’s National Party (PNP) is founded by Senator P.J. Patterson, a vice-president of the party and also its Shadow minister of youth, sports and community development. The objective of the PNP youth arm is to heighten the political and social awareness of the youth of Jamaica.