Since its inception in 1938, the Stewart’s Automotive Group has always played a huge role in working toward the betterment of Jamaica.

In 2008, Diana and her late husband founded the Richard and Diana Stewart Foundation to further their efforts in giving back to Jamaica. The Foundation provides numerous academic scholarships for underprivileged youth, including the children of the Stewart’s Automotive Group staff members.

Following in their grandparents’ footsteps, the six grandchildren responded to the devastating poverty in Jamaica by founding their own branch of the Richard and Diana Stewart Foundation, Kind Hearts Foundation. Founded in 2010, Kind Hearts focuses on community housing and education needs for underprivileged families in Jamaica. They first partnered with Youth With A Mission in Montego Bay to raise the funds and physically build four compassion homes in rural St. James. With a need to help more than just one family at a time, the grandchildren turned their sites to education and schooling needs. In 2012 they became the first Jamaican family to partner with Food for the Poor to build a fully furnished basic school in Manchester. Kind Hearts has now successfully completed the fundraising and building for seven basic schools across the island.

These basic schools assist the most vulnerable children, aged 3 to 6 years old. With Food for the Poor’s guidance, the team constructs a six or eight-unit structure (depending on the size of community and number of children that will be enrolled) that meets all the construction and safety requirements of the Ministry of Education. The cost of each completed project ranges between USD $65,000-$80,000. This funding takes into account full furnished classrooms, Principal’s office, sick bay, sanitation facilities, kitchenette, plumbing, septic tank, water harvesting system, playground and fencing.

Kind Hearts is also actively working with each basic school and the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) to ensure that these schools are working becoming certified by the ECC to give each child the best possible chance at a successful future. We hope that you will join us in the extraordinary initiative of educating Jamaica’s children and investing in the future of our country!

One of Kind Heart’s biggest fundraising initiatives is the Colour Me Happy Charity Powder Run – the first run in colour introduced in Jamaica. Defined by creativity, drive and a passion for helping the less fortunate, participants of the run are some of the happiest people in Jamaica looking to have a good time and make a difference with their contribution. We hope that YOU too will join us to Colour Jamaica Happy!

The Group rallied behind Food for the Poor Jamaica to collect funds and donations of canned goods and bottled water to provide aid for those affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.

In October 2016, Stewart’s participated in a Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative #DriveForTheCure with the Jamaica Cancer Society.

Stewart’s plays an active role in promoting job creation and training in Jamaica by being active participants in the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP); and providing work experience for student technicians at the Jamaica-German Automotive School (JAGAS) and the Ministry of Labour’s “Steps to Work” programme.

Partnership with The American Chambers of Commerce Jamaica (AMCHAM): In 2006, Diana Stewart was Chairperson of the AMCHAM Fund Raising and Design Committee and was instrumental in the fundraising and construction of the Grants Pen Model Community Policing and Services Centre developed in partnership with USAID, GOJ and the Private Sector. This new centre was valued at US$2.5 million dollars. Stewart’s Auto Sales decided to contribute 0.5% of the total cost of every Suzuki sold, to the Economic Development Foundation of Jamaica, in 2007, in keeping with our Peace Initiative and to assist with the paying off of debts incurred whilst in the process of building AMCHAM PLACE, and purchasing additional property for parking and a Peace Park, now known as the CHASE Peace Park. In 2009, Mrs. Stewart, then the Chairman of AMCHAM Jamaica, was instrumental in hosting successful forum on the H1N1 virus protection for Jamaica as well as a Health Safety Security Environment Conference and Economic Forum.

In 2008 Richard and Diana Stewart were nominated as Business Leaders of the Year by the Jamaica Observer.

Recognising the need for first class medical facilities, SAG joined a number of companies in becoming donors of The Tony Thwaites Wing Expansion at the University Hospital of the West Indies. This expansion still benefits the entire hospital. Stewarts has also been involved with health campaigns, including the National Council for Drug Abuse/Addiction Alert’s documentary “Put God First” with singer Roy Rayon and donating the profit for a car raffle for keeping an AIDS Hospice open in the fight against AIDS.

Stewart’s has always been supporters as well as a sponsors of Jamaican Sports and the Arts. The Group is a proud sponsor of Usain Bolt’s Racers Grand Prix. Additionally, on the Reggae Boyz’s “Road to France” Suzuki Jamaica donated the proceeds of three cars to the three most improved players. Stewart’s also donated a Suzuki to several Test Series for Man of the Series for West Indies cricket. The Group was also a contributor to the establishment of the re-built Edna Manley Health Centre.

Other endeavours include participating in SANTA for Children Charity (Seeing A Need Taking Action), spearheaded by Frank Jackson of Wackenhut since 2002; and working alongside several missionaries such as Missionaries of the Poor and Youth With a Mission Jamaica (YWAM).

The prestigious award was presented to Diana Stewart by the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) at their Jamaica Charity Gala on Saturday at the JW Marriot Marquis Hotel in Miami, Florida.

The event was attended by scores of prominent American and Jamaican political, diplomatic and business leaders including Government Minister Daryl Vaz; former US Ambassadors Luis Moreno and Brenda LaGrange Johnson; Senior Advisor/Strategist for Tourism, Delano Seiveright; Miami Herald Journalist, Jacqueline Charles; Business tycoons Joseph Matalon, Chris Berry among several others.

A very significant amount of money was also raised on spot at the event for charitable activities including school building projects in Jamaica.

Stewart was hailed for her sterling philanthropic work over the last several decades spanning Education, Health and social development. This includes driving the development of Jamaica’s first community policing facility, AmCham Place, which also houses the state-of-the art Edna Manley Health Clinic, in Grants Pen, St Andrew ; the building of several basic schools; the granting of many scholarships among a long list of other contributions.

McKay noted that, “To say that Diana Stewart epitomises true Jamaican spirit is an understatement. I have truly learned from her quiet strength, hospitable demeanour and insurmountable work ethic. Those traits are key to the success of her many positive and expansive philanthropic efforts.”

The American Friends of Jamaica is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organisation dedicated to supporting Jamaican charitable organisations and social initiatives working to improve the lives of Jamaicans through systemic development in the areas of education, health care and economic development.

THANKS TO YOU, the Kind Hearts Foundation and Food For the Poor team built two schools as part of its Basic School Building Initiative. The two schools, built in Windsor Castle, Portland, and Crawford District, St Elizabeth, are six-unit structures, consisting of three classrooms with sufficient space for 60 students, Early Childhood Commission-approved furniture, a principal’s office, a sick bay, a fully-equipped kitchen, safe bathroom facilities, playground equipment, fencing and a water-harvesting component for domestic purposes.

We made history as the first Food For the Poor donors to build back-to-back basic schools in Jamaica, having successfully constructed six basic schools across the island, and we are ready to do it again as we prepare for our BIGGEST run ever! Please join us in continuing to helping children in rural areas have access to the education they deserve.

To register for this year’s please click the link http://colourmehappyrun.com