For Kemar ‘Ding Dong’ Ottey, giving back meant going back to where it all started. The recording artiste has chosen Nannyville Early Childhood Institution, located in the community where he grew up, to receive a J$1 million contribution from Sagicor Foundation Jamaica — an opportunity afforded to him after serving as a patron of the 2026 Sagicor SIGMA Corporate Run.

For Ding Dong, the choice was an easy one. Having attended the institution as a child, he has seen first-hand the role it has played in nurturing generations of children from Nannyville and neighbouring communities.

“This is the community that I am from, and the kids need development,” he said. “This school has helped so many of us from Nannyville and the surrounding communities. I help whenever I can because I want these children to have the opportunity to become somebody and to have a comfortable environment where they can learn.”

The J$1 million will assist the institution with several infrastructural improvements, including tiling classrooms, painting and installing an exit door leading to the playground.

Principal Beverley Pusey welcomed the support, noting that the improvements will help to enrich the lives of the children.

“We have wanted to be registered for a very long time, and we have made significant progress,” Pusey said, as the school, like many early childhood institutions, looks to meet the Early Childhood Commission’s required standards.  “There are still some things that we need to do, like tiling the classrooms, painting the walls and having an exit door to the playground. I am really, really happy for this contribution.”

Each year, Sagicor Foundation provides SIGMA Run patrons with an honorarium in recognition of their service and contribution as patrons. Patrons are invited to direct this honorarium to a charitable organisation or cause of their choice. This contribution is funded directly by Sagicor Foundation Jamaica and is separate from, and does not form part of, the proceeds raised through the Sagicor SIGMA Corporate Run. 

Nicole Campbell Robinson, Vice President, Communications, Digital Media & CSR at Sagicor Group Jamaica, said the initiative is one way the Foundation extends the impact of its partnership with patrons beyond race day.

“Every year, we look at how we can partner with our patrons to extend the love, and one of the ways we do that is to give them an opportunity to support a cause that aligns with the work we do at Sagicor Foundation,” Campbell Robinson said.

For Campbell Robinson, seeing the school and interacting with its students reinforced the value of Ding Dong’s choice.

“You can tell that Principal Pusey and the teachers have put a lot of love and effort into this school. We know this contribution is going to go a far way, and we are happy to play a part in creating an even better environment for the children who learn here.”

Ding Dong was one of three patrons of the 2026 Sagicor SIGMA Corporate Run, staged under the theme “Run for the West.” The event raised more than J$152 million in support of five schools in western Jamaica impacted by Hurricane Melissa.