In 1995, Chris Blackwell founded the Oracabessa Foundation, a nonprofit funded partly by Island Outpost and partly from grants and donations from guests.
Jonathan Gosse, its executive director since 2001 (he came to Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer) and two staff focus on three goals: Get more people working, improve the health of Oracabessa Bay and motivate youth to be "positive and engaged."
Working toward the first of these goals, the foundation runs a community-based vocational training center for hospitality jobs. Gosse said that there have been more than 350 graduates trained in villa management and service; food and beverage; and housekeeping. Most find work in Ocho Rios (Gosse said Sandals is a big employer of Oracabessa Foundation graduates).
Jamaica has some of the most overfished waters on the planet, Gosse said, and the reefs around Oracabessa Bay were dying. The foundation forged a relationship with David Murry, the president of the local fisherman's group, and he and Gosse convinced local fishermen to respect the limits of a 370-acre fish sanctuary. The foundation wrote grants and obtained government-paid wardens to protect the area, as well.
"Between May 2011 and 2014, we saw a 1,300% increase in the fish biomass," Gosse said, "a 153% increase in coral coverage and a 43% decrease in algae coverage. And 19,000 sea turtles hatched in the sanctuary."
The Oracabessa youth program uses sports to engage young people.
"Tens of thousands of kids in western St. Mary Parish have played in our leagues," Gosse said. "We've had 15 of our players, boys and girls, try out for the national tennis team. And we built the first BMX racing track in the Caribbean."
The BMX track is central to the foundation's "Two wheels, one love" program, teaching kids to ride bicycles safely. After the safety program, children can progress to BMX. "But a big part of the program is to place emphasis on love and forgiveness. We've got 250 kids in the program."
Future plans include hiring the Mexican artist Jaime Gonzalez Cano to create underwater sculptures for the reef, similar to ones he installed off the shores of Isla Mujeres, Mexico, as well as funding a dive shop to support the planting of coral.
The Oracabessa Foundation is a U.S. 501-c nonprofit, and guests who donate $1,000 can have a tree planted at GoldenEye that includes signage with their names, as many celebrity visitors have done.