Jamaica’s Rockhouse Basis Surpasses $11M in Hurricane Melissa Reduction Efforts

[ad_1] by Keka Araújo December 20, 2025

Director of Partnerships Vanessa Moore spearheads the restoration cost for Hurricane Melissa and a greater Jamaica.

The Rockhouse Basis, the esteemed charitable vanguard of the 51-year-old Rockhouse Resort and its sister property, Skylark Negril Seaside Resort, has reached a historic milestone, elevating greater than $11 million USD to modernize the tutorial infrastructure of Western Jamaica. Since its inception in 2003, the muse has moved past easy charity to execute a profound transformation of six space faculties and the full enlargement of the Negril Neighborhood Library, making a sustainable mannequin for social accountability throughout the tourism sector.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="800" data-id="1157551" src="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/53779522900_16ef6e25d2_c.jpg" alt="Vanessa moore, Jamaica, Rockhouse Hotel, Foundation, Skylark, Hurricane Melissa" class="wp-image-1157551" srcset="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/53779522900_16ef6e25d2_c.jpg 800w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/53779522900_16ef6e25d2_c-300x300.jpg 300w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/53779522900_16ef6e25d2_c-150x150.jpg 150w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/53779522900_16ef6e25d2_c-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/> Photograph Courtesy of Rockhouse Basis

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="600" data-id="1157552" src="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/48068376727_6057f0e65c_c.jpg" alt="Vanessa moore, Jamaica, Rockhouse Hotel, Foundation, Skylark, Hurricane Melissa" class="wp-image-1157552" srcset="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/48068376727_6057f0e65c_c.jpg 800w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/48068376727_6057f0e65c_c-300x225.jpg 300w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/48068376727_6057f0e65c_c-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px"/> Photograph Courtesy of Rockhouse Basis

On the coronary heart of this mission is the Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Academy (Sav Inclusive), a pioneering establishment constructed totally from the bottom up by the Basis. Born from a visionary dialogue between Basis President Peter Rose and a lodge employees member looking for sources for her autistic son, the academy represents a uncommon, absolutely inclusive surroundings the place youngsters with and with out disabilities study aspect by aspect. What started in 2017 with 30 preschoolers has flourished right into a vibrant campus of 265 college students via Grade 6, boasting a therapeutic sensory room, a devoted crew of speech and bodily therapists, and a totally solarized, eco-conscious infrastructure.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="799" height="533" data-id="1157548" src="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/21781470980_6177afacd4_c.jpg" alt="Vanessa moore, Jamaica, Rockhouse Hotel, Foundation, Skylark, Hurricane Melissa" class="wp-image-1157548" srcset="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/21781470980_6177afacd4_c.jpg 799w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/21781470980_6177afacd4_c-300x200.jpg 300w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/21781470980_6177afacd4_c-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px"/> Photograph Courtesy of Rockhouse Basis

To steward this increasing mission, the Basis just lately appointed Vanessa Moore as Director of Partnerships. A Jamaican native whose skilled journey got here full circle in November 2024, Moore brings a formidable background as a high-level govt for MTV, the Oprah Winfrey Community, NBC, and TMZ. Her appointment continues a familial legacy of service; her father, Bertel Moore, served because the Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar and the CEO of the Westmoreland Municipal Company, embodying a deep-seated dedication to the neighborhood that Vanessa now carries ahead.

Moore’s transition from Hollywood’s model boardrooms to Jamaican advocacy was catalyzed by a private awakening relating to social justice and the wants of the underserved.

“My coronary heart was really rooted within the area of advocacy and activism,” the multihyphenate mirrored on her profession pivot. “I noticed one thing very particular concerning the DNA of the Rockhouse model; it was rooted in households and neighborhood. These issues are what carry life on.”

Compassion within the Wake of Disaster

The Basis’s affect has by no means been extra important than within the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which left 82% of Westmoreland with out energy.

In a interval of unprecedented problem, the muse demonstrated its logistical agility, elevating over $500,000 through GoFundMe to supply quick aid. This effort has been instrumental in rebuilding houses for workers and pupils, similar to younger Rajan—a pupil with cerebral palsy who gained the power to stroll and speak via the Academy’s specialised care—and Xandy, whose household of eight is being supported with a brand new house. The inspiration additionally moved with quick agility to guard its pupil households and employees. Below Moore’s route, the Basis’s separate aid, which got here in clutch for displaced lodge staff, surpassed $100,000.

“The Rockhouse Basis Hurricane Restoration Fund will present direct help to rebuild the Sav Inclusive Faculty and to assist the scholars, households, and academics most affected by the storm. Your donation — massive or small — will go straight towards: Offering direct help to the hardest-hit households, college students, and academics. Repairing and rebuilding broken lecture rooms and remedy areas. Changing important academic and therapeutic gear misplaced to flooding. Restoring a protected, nurturing surroundings the place our college students can return and thrive,” the group’s GoFundMe defined.

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="640" height="427" data-id="1157549" src="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/44828764471_70e99754ce_z.jpg" alt="Vanessa moore, Jamaica, Rockhouse Hotel, Foundation, Skylark, Hurricane Melissa" class="wp-image-1157549" srcset="https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/44828764471_70e99754ce_z.jpg 640w, https://blackenterprise-prod.b-cdn.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2025/12/44828764471_70e99754ce_z-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"/> Photograph Courtesy of Rockhouse Basis

Whereas the Jamaican authorities estimates college damages at upwards of 15 billion Jamaican {dollars}, Moore notes that 80% of the efficient aid has come from grassroots and worldwide NGOs. Working out of Skylark Negril Seaside Resort, companions like World Central Kitchen have served over two million meals, proving that the non-public sector is now the first engine of restoration for the island’s western area.

“It’s a name to motion for the world to face up as human beings and be type and respectable world residents to assist your fellow brother. As an individual who has been an advocate for the underserved for a few years, it breaks my coronary heart to know there are residents of Jamaica who might be with out electrical energy probably via March of subsequent 12 months,” Moore defined.

This humanitarian work is fueled by the success of the Rockhouse Resort, which in 2025 was awarded a prestigious MICHELIN One Key, recognizing it as a “very particular keep.”

By underwriting 100% of the Basis’s administrative prices via its hospitality operations—together with the acclaimed Miss Lily’s and the boutique Skylark resort—the group ensures that each cent of public donation goes on to the kids.

From the brand new hydroponic farm to the enlargement of Sav Inclusive via highschool, the Rockhouse Basis is the powerhouse of integrating world-class tourism with native empowerment.