May 16, 2025
The inaugural staging of the A’Legends School Tour in Jamaica has been successfully completed after a week full of activities and entertainment for children at various schools across Kingston, St Andrew and St Catherine. Tour host, Jenelle Alexia, is relieved to have accomplished another dream of hers.
“This tour has been years in the making and to have finally done it is a dream come true. A very proud moment, not just for me but for those who helped make it happen,” Alexia said.
The US-based fashion designer and CEO of her own clothing brand, A’Legends, is also an author who wrote 2 children’s books: Keira Discovers Her Talent, loosely based on Alexia’s life growing up, and the follow-up called Keira and Jamie Discover A Musical Dream. Alexia, born Jenelle Alexia Thompson to Jamaican parents, has always wanted to give back to children in Jamaica and has done so effectively with the A’Legends School Tour.
“The look on the faces of these beautiful children did it for me. It wasn’t much but they were all so very appreciative of what they got. I wish I could do more and give everyone something but next time, for sure!” She added.
“None of it would have been possible without the kind donations of several persons who gave not only supplies but also monetary gifts. The main sponsor, Dr Michelle Gill, donated 12 tablets and school supplies through her foundation and was even present for part of the tour. That’s real support right there.”
Dr Michelle Gill is a Guyanese-American philanthropist who hosts charitable events through her Michelle’s Foundation. She’s also the owner of a radio station called Get With The Fix Radio. She’ll be hosting an initiative for several children in her home country of Guyana in July.
“It’s a great initiative. I’m happy to do this, to be part of the A’Legends School Tour with my foundation and help out where children need it. Alexia is a visionary so I’ll continue to give her the support she needs to get the job done. Every year she takes part in my Back To School Drive in New Jersey, that’s the type of person she is, therefore I had to give her the support and I’m glad we could do this together for the children of Jamaica,” explained Michelle.
Other notable sponsors include Streamline Auto Sales and Rental, who provided transportation, Ejor Media Group, One Family Records, Dow Records, Shunny Records, Ask Blondie TV, Real Queffa Records and many more. None of it though would not have been possible without the ground work carried out by Mr Eugene Pitter, who got most of the schools on board as well as the entertainment, and Ms Lesley Hayles, PR to Alexia and Michelle, who saw to it that everything was prepared for the tour.
“I’m grateful. Forever grateful to everyone who donated and who turned up for me and especially for these kids. The aim is to get them reading and make it fun for them and I think that was accomplished. It’s not for me, it’s for the children and to eradicate Jamaica’s ‘dunce’ culture, even if it takes years to do, A’Legends will do it,” Alexia said adamantly.
On Read Across Jamaica Day, Tuesday, May 6th, Alexia began the day’s activities at the George Headley Primary School, where she read her Keira and Jamie Discover A Musical Dream to a Grade 3 and Grade 6 class. Then, through prominent marketing consultant, Shauna Fung Yee, Alexia had the privilege of joining Honorable Olivia “Babsy” Grange, from the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport at two schools within Minister Grange’s constituent, the Ensom City and Eltham Park Primary schools. Alexia was given the opportunity to read to the students there by Minister Grange alongside Miss Fung Yee, much to the delight of the students present.
Alexia hopes this is the start of greater things to come for the next staging of the A’Legends School Tour, as she is already working on her third children’s book and getting all three in the series into the school’s curriculum through the Ministry of Education by the new school year in September 2025. Jenelle Alexia also has her sights set on expanding the tour to Guyana and throughout the Caribbean, as well as Ghana and other African nations as she is poised to receive the Diaspora Excellence Award at the upcoming staging of the Rediscover Africa 2025 Africa Night Out Gala and Awards ceremony to be held on Saturday, May 24th in Atlantic City, New Jersey.