Our Impact

Our Partners

St. Patrick's Foundation

“At Sygnus, we believe in building long-term partnerships that last. It is the cornerstone of our success. The individuals and institutions who we actively engage in deep and meaningful ways amplify our business’s ability to make a difference in our communities and the world”

Elizabeth James

Vice President of Wealth Management & Client Services

St. Patrick’s Foundation cares for and empowers at-risk youth and residents of low-income communities by providing training and development opportunities that will encourage social and economic advancement. The Foundation provides human resource development and skills training through three community centres and a number of other initiatives.

Since 2018, Sygnus has maintained a relationship with St. Patrick’s Foundation, a non-profit human and community development organization established in 1994 to serve people of West Kingston’s inner-city communities. The Foundation currently operates three community centres and a home for abandoned golden agers.

INITIATIVES

January 2019 – Sygnus donates J$200,000 to St. Patrick’s Foundation in upgrading their Head Office
August 2019 – Sygnus donates J$100,000 to St. Patrick’s Foundation for back to school activities
June 2020 – Sygnus galvanizes partners around a shared mission to support the St. Patrick’s Foundation with Covid Relief efforts with a total donation of J$1,238,000.00
May 2022 – Sygnus Celebrates Child’s Month with Riverton Early Childhood Development Centre (a part of the St. Patrick’s Foundation)
August 2022 – Sygnus Donates J$250,000.00 to Support St. Patrick Foundation’s back to school efforts with the purchase of school suppliers
May 2023– Sygnus Celebrates Read Across Jamaica Day with Riverton Meadows Early Childhood Centre. ( a part of the St. Patrick’s Foundation)

August 2023– Sygnus Donates J$250,0000 to support St.Patrick Foundation’s Back to School efforts that will assist in purchasing book vouchers, uniforms, covering school fees, and assisting with examination fees for deserving students under the foundation’s purview

Jamaica Cancer Society

"Our unwavering commitment to the fight against breast cancer has spanned over three years, during which we have contributed over J$1,000,000 to the Jamaica Cancer Society. This year, we continue our mission to make a meaningful impact on the lives of 45 individuals across the island through free mammogram screenings. Our commitment has once again extended to Jamaica Reach To Recovery and our donation aids those on the road to recovery. We understand the financial challenges faced by survivors, and we are proud to support JR2R's mission. As we stand by our partners, the Jamaica Cancer Society and Jamaica Reach To Recovery, we also urge fellow members of the private sector to join us in the battle against breast cancer. Together, we can make a powerful difference.”

Elizabeth James

Vice President and Head of Wealth and Client Strategy at Sygnus Capital

For the fourth consecutive year, Sygnus demonstrates its dedication to this vital cause. This year’s donation of J$250,000 to the JCS will facilitate free mammogram screenings for a total of 45 women and men, enabling early detection of breast cancer—a crucial step in combating this disease. Meanwhile, for the second consecutive year, Sygnus has extended its support to the Jamaica Reach To Recovery and this year will be donating J$250,000.00 for their initiative which will go towards providing financial aid for those suffering from the disease.

Read Across Jamaica

Sygnus – Read Across Jamaica Day 2024 – John Mills Infant and Primary School

Sygnus – Read Across Jamaica Day 2024 – St.Margaret’s Human Resource Centre

“At Sygnus, we believe in investing in the future of Jamaica’s youth. Literacy is a cornerstone of success, and we are committed to supporting educational initiatives that nurture a love for reading and empower students to reach their full potential. This year, we decided to take a more inclusive approach as we recognised the critical need to support the older students as well, as they are an underserved demographic for this particular initiative. Overall, seeing the joy and engagement on the faces of the students at both schools was truly rewarding.”

Renee Rickards

Marketing Manager

Sygnus continues to embrace its commitment to community enrichment through impactful initiatives. Members of the Sygnus team capitalized on the opportunity to make a positive impact by donating essential items and books to John Mills Infant Primary and Junior High School, as well as to St. Margaret’s Human Resource Centre.

Recognizing the unique challenges faced by the students at St. Margarets Human Resource Centre, Sygnus team members engaged in tailored activities, including read alongs and open discussions, fostering an environment for students to express their aspirations and reading preferences.

Similarly, at John Mills, younger students were enthralled with engaging read-aloud sessions and interactive discussions, complemented by fun outdoor activities. These initiatives reflect Sygnus’s dedication to not only providing resources but also nurturing meaningful interactions and support for the communities it serves.

Sygnus – Read Across Jamaica Day 2023 – John Mills Infant and Primary School

Sygnus – Read Across Jamaica Day 2023 – Riverton Meadows Early Childhood Center

“The team is very happy and honored to once again be a part of such a significant national initiative. We respect and applaud the efforts of our teachers who work tirelessly to establish a solid foundation of reading for our children. Here at Sygnus, we believe in the importance of reading and how life-changing that can be. It was really an opportunity for us to take part in ensuring our children, who are the future of our country, are equipped and have access to additional educational resources. So we not only donated books by some great Jamaican authors, but educational games as well. We definitely had fun interacting with the children from both John Mills and Riverton. We hope that we were able to inspire the children to find the fun and gains in reading,”

Renee Rickards

Marketing Manager

Members of the Sygnus team on Tuesday, May 9, 2023 in observance of Read Across Jamaica Day and in celebration of Child Month, journeyed to the John Mills Infant Primary and Junior High School, as well as the Riverton Meadows Early Childhood Centre, where they engaged the children in educational and fun-filled activities.

Visiting the different classes, members of the team sat with students reading stories from an array of books including, but were not limited to local author Kellie Magnus’ Little Lion Goes To School and young local author Sapphire Cadogan’s The Magical Fruits. The team also enjoyed leisure time with the children, engaging them in outdoor playground activities such as ring games.

In a handover ceremony, the Sygnus team presented the children with an assortment of books and educational games for their reading corners. John Mills was also presented with a new printer for their main office. Following this, the team in honour of Teacher’s Day, taking place on Wednesday, May 10, gifted teachers with a celebratory cake and special gifts.

The Riverton Meadows Early Childhood Centre, one of the four centres run by the St. Patrick’s Foundation – an organisation which Sygnus has supported for the last 5 years, expressed their gratitude to the Sygnus team, presenting the firm with a certificate of appreciation.

Sygnus – Read Across Jamaica Day 2022

Youths for Excellence

“I am grateful to Sygnus for their contribution towards our Math Chattingz initiative. They have shown me two things: 1) they are committed to amplifying the voices of youth by supporting our work and 2) they are genuine in their fight against the inequalities that affect the Caribbean region. Their donation will go a far way in buying the much-needed school supplies for the children in the five countries that Math Chattingz targets, making the delivery of the educational content run more smoothly.”

Jénine Shepherd

President and Board Co-Chair, Youths for Excellence

The Sygnus Group has donated the sum of JMD$300,000 to Math Chattingz, a Youths For Excellence (YFE) initiative geared towards highlighting the applicability of mathematics in a greatly diversified range of careers. Youths for Excellence is a registered charity for the holistic development of underserved youth, founded in 2015 by President and Board Co-Chair Jénine Shepherd, when she was 17 years of age, because she recognized the effects of social and economic deprivation on young children at schools in Jamaica.

Today the organisation’s efforts and initiatives have impact throughout the Caribbean. Guided by a vision to eradicate education inequality in the world, starting with the Caribbean region, the organisation serves inner-city youth across the region by providing them with the adequate tools of healthcare, nutrition and sound tutelage to put them on the path to success.

“At Sygnus, innovation is one of our guiding principles that enables us to unlock opportunities for our clients and those initiatives and organisations that we support and assist. In this same vein, we are proud to support Youths For Excellence in providing students across the Caribbean with the opportunity to broaden their access and potential for achieving future success via Mathematics. This programme will introduce students to Mathematics at all levels and really help to break the stigma against the subject. Mathematics can open so many doors for our youth and can usher them into a world of opportunities and careers, not only in STEM-related fields but also in the Arts, Design, Health, Entertainment, and Finance—for which it is the foundation. We applaud Youths For Excellence for their innovation in creating this immersive and interactive experience that is sure to positively impact the perception of the subject amongst our youth!”

The event was conceptualized by Youths For Excellence and will be executed in collaboration with the Ministries of Education in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Grenada and Barbados to benefit youth across the region.

Since its inception, YFE has championed a holistic method of educational intervention. The organization has assisted children to receive not only textbooks but also tablets, health checkups, travel passes, lunch passes, and resources for their parents, to facilitate employment. The organization has also collaborated on several multinational projects with multiple Caribbean governments and international organizations like the UNDP, CDB and UNESCO.

NMLS Children’s Outreach Programme

“The Sygnus team is happy to have been able to support the children at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre. We admire and appreciate the commitment of the NMLS team at the facility and are thrilled to have been able to play a role in delivering some joy to the centre’s staff and children this Christmas by providing various gifts, spending time and having fun.”

Renee Rickards

Marketing Manager

On Monday, December 19, 2022, our team joined the Norman Manley Law School’s (NMLS) Children’s Outreach Programme in lending a helping hand at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre. Donating $100,000 in cash and kind to the Althone Wing of the Centre and was able to put a smile on the faces of many children and staff.

The Children’s Outreach Programme is a charity organisation created with the objective of giving back to children in Jamaica by students at the Norman Manley Law School.