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Supreme Ventures Foundation (SVF) has announced the return of its flagship social enterprise programme, Supreme Heroes, the capacity-building initiative that recognises and supports micro businesses that also support the social sustainability of their communities.

Four small businesses doing impactful community work with limited resources have been named as part of the newest group of Supreme Heroes. Among the four shortlisted businesses are a shopkeeper in rural St Andrew who uses the proceeds from her shop to host back-to-school treats and a seamstress in western Jamaica who offers adult literacy classes to people in the community.

SVF Director Heather Goldson expressed her pride in the programme’s return and a new cohort of participants. “We were very pleased with the first cohort of Heroes and very proud of the results of the programme. Being able to build on this programme and welcome a second cohort of diverse local unsung heroes is very gratifying. Persons were engaged and interested in nominating members of their community, and our judges have shortlisted a really wonderful group of persons to vie for the title of Ultimate Supreme Hero.”

This second cohort of Supreme Heroes are Kerr’s Decor n More, operated by Andrea Kerr-Finakin and Bamboo Fever Restaurant, operated by Emeelia McCallum, both based in Mount Salem, St James, as well as FarmerDex Wholesale, operated by Aneisha Miller, and Jamaica Bike Life, run by Matthew Prendergast, both located in St Andrew.

The project is being facilitated through Changemakers Limited, which has done considerable background research to validate the new cohort, working closely with the Mona Entrepreneurial and Commercialisation Centre (MECC), which will conduct the retooling training course that the new heroes will participate in.

“A key component of the Supreme Heroes programme is to strengthen the business capacity in addition to providing them with grant funding that will take their social interventions to the next level. Our partnerships with Changemakers and the Mona Entrepreneurial and Commercialization Centre allow us to provide training and coaching across a number of basic business disciplines from finance and marketing to leadership,” Goldson shared.

At the end of the programme, each participant should be registered as a business and a charitable organisation, if applicable, and will have a unique five-year business plan inclusive of a comprehensive financial plan that will be a sustainability road map. Participants will also have a better working knowledge of basic business practices. Their community projects will also have expanded benefits to lucky beneficiaries in their communities.

Source: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20221112/goodheart-supreme-ventures-foundation-announces-new-cohort-community-heroes

The Supreme Ventures Foundation continues to be a strong proponent of the notion that “education is the key to prosperity.” The Foundation recently held a Pep Up luncheon to fete and motivate its twenty scholarship recipients.

As part of its 20th-anniversary celebrations last year, the Foundation awarded twenty university and college students who are transitioning from state care with financial aid that covered all expenses related to tuition, boarding, and other educational costs throughout their tertiary level academic programs.

According to Heather Goldson, Director of Supreme Ventures Foundation, the luncheon was envisioned as a method to engage with and inspire the scholarship recipients on a more personal level than the standard payment of tuition.

“We recognized that our scholars faced unique challenges – including navigating school life during a pandemic – that would have made their transition to tertiary level more difficult than usual but through it all they worked hard and did their best. We know, however, that even the best among us needs to be motivated. With that in mind, the SVF team curated this Pep Up Session to boost our scholars and cheer them along as they enter their 2nd year of studies,” said Goldson.

The event included a “Power Up Session” by TrainFit Club and a vision boarding activity with Krystal Tomlinson with the theme ‘Building the Habit of Excellence’. Each student was also gifted with a laptop bag by Bresheh, grocery store gift cards, phone credit, and movie gift cards as part of the encouragement package.

Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) CEO Rosalee Gage-Grey expressed her gratitude to the SVF team for the event. “The Supreme Ventures Foundation continues to invest into our children and young people and that is something that must be applauded. An event like this, I know, will go a far way in motivating the students as it demonstrates that the interest in them is not limited to providing the much-needed resources but also in their personal development and mental wellbeing.”

Goldson affirmed SVF’s commitment to the collaboration with CPFSA to providing the scholarship recipients with life-changing experiences.

“It was our absolute pleasure to partner with the CPFSA to offer these 20 students the opportunity to pursue their studies without the major financial concerns and to create this interactive and meaningful experience that elevates the value of their scholarship,” she remarked.

The Foundation continues to serve as a beacon for the child protection sector, offering hope to the children and caregivers and proactively seeking avenues to uplift and positively transform their lives.

Gaming company Supreme Ventures Limited’s net profit increased by a third for its September quarter of 2022.

Net profit generated between July and September totalled $426 million or 36.4 per cent more than the same period in 2021.

Total gross ticket sales for the quarter amounted to $26.6 billion, representing an increase of 26 per cent over the corresponding period in 2021.

“Customers continued to support new initiatives that positively impacted their pockets during stringent economic times,” said Supreme Ventures in its quarterly report.

Total gaming income of $12.1 billion, represented an increase of $1.9 billion, or 18.7 per cent, when compared to the prior period in 2021, driven largely by lottery sales with strong performances from Cash Pot and Instants.

Meanwhile, direct expenses totalled $9.8 billion or 22 per cent, higher than a year ago.

“This continues to demonstrate our commitment to higher pay-out amounts to our key partners and regulators during the quarter, as prize pay-outs trended higher for some games compared to the same period last year,” said Supreme.

The company noted that it ploughs back more than 97 per cent of its earnings into the Jamaican economy via prizes, fees, taxes and operational payments.

Supreme Ventures’ capital increased slightly year-on-year to $6 billion as at September 2022.

Source: https://jamaica.loopnews.com/content/supreme-ventures-generates-profits-426-million-q3

Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) hosted a delegation from the National Lottery Authority of Ghana (NLA). The NLA is both an operator and the regulator of the National Lottery of Ghana.

The visiting delegation were in Jamaica from September 13 – 18 for a study tour to observe SVL’s operations in Jamaica, monitor best practices in the Jamaican lottery industry and to discuss opportunities for possible collaboration.

SVL Executive Chairman Gary Peart expressed delight with the discussions and welcomed the interest from the Ghanaian lottery authority. “We are happy to host officials from the NLA of Ghana, here in Jamaica which is our flagship operation. As one of the longest serving and largest lottery operations in the region, we believe SVL has considerable experience to share with the NLA.”

He noted that the trip offered mutual benefits for both parties “We regard this visit as an opportunity for exchange of knowledge and so we anticipate learning some best practices from the NLA which is the largest lottery operator in Ghana. This is certainly a mutually beneficial visit.”

During the five-day visit, the Ghanaian delegation that comprised senior officials of the National Lottery Authority of Ghana, also met with representatives of the government and the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission.