Proceeds from this year's annual charity ball of the Children of Jamaica Outreach, Inc. (COJO), will go toward its scholarship fund to benefit needy young persons in Jamaica as well as the United States.

The gala event will be held on December 2 at the Crowne Plaza hotel, LaGuardia Airport, Queens in New York.

Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, Robert Pickersgill will be special guest at the function. He will represent Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

Dr. Basil K. Bryan, Consul General in New York, will serve as patron of the event, which is expected to attract a strong contingent of government, elected officials and community leaders from the New York metro area.

COJO is a non-profit organisation in New York, whose mission is to help improve the health, education and general well being of underprivileged children.

Over the past decade, the volunteer-driven organisation has supported a number of institutions in the United States and Jamaica. Among them are the Alpha Boys' Home; Glenhope Place of Safety; Marigold Child Care Centre and the Musgrave Girls' Home in Jamaica; and in New York, the Jamaica, Queens YMCA and Leaf of Life.

Chairman of COJO, Gary Williams, said he was pleased with what the organisation has achieved since its inception and was looking forward to the continued support of its donors in assisting the organisation to realise its goals.

"The scholarship fund, launched as part of our 10th anniversary, has been growing steadily and we are confident that with the commitment and generosity of our sponsors and well wishers, this will augur well for the growth and sustainability of the Fund," he said.

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), which has been a supporter of COJO since inception, will again be one of this year's sponsors. Several corporate entities, including JetBlue Airlines, have donated airline tickets as raffle prizes, with Jamaican resorts providing hotel accommodation.

Information on the COJO annual charity ball, including sponsorship opportunities, ticket information and donations, is available at the Children of Jamaica Outreach office at 718-908-2485 or visit www.cojokids.org.