http://www.cricketforchange.org.uk/news/fast_start_for_walsh_foundation

Fast start for The Courtney Walsh Foundation and C4C

Nov 25, 2009

Following the news last week that a party from Cricket for Change staff had made their way out to Jamaica to help launch the Courtney Walsh Foundation, Howard Walker of the Jamaica Observer reports on the successful opening of the Courtney Walsh Foundation:

The Courtney Walsh Foundation for providing opportunities for youths and meaningful changes in their lives through cricket, was launched yesterday and already has generated $11m in sponsorship.

The Foundation, which was launched at the Mona Hockey Field, received a whopping $7.5m from the British High Commission via the United Kingdom (UK) Aid and $3.5m from telecom provider LIME Jamaica.

…

Walsh’s foundation, is a registered charity and will work in three main areas in:

• Street20 Cricket – a fast moving, affordable and sustainable version of the game to be introduced to an initial 12 inner city communities.
• Disability Cricket – “enabling the disabled” will involve the development of cricket programmes for three categories of disability. Visually impaired (blind), physically disabled (wheel chair) and learning disabled.
• Young Offenders project – using cricket in one of the juvenile correctional institutions to engage young offenders and support their transition from custody to community.

There are other long-term projects which will include the establishment of a Cricket Centre to further develop the skill base of various categories in the Foundation’s programmes and the construction of infrastructural practice facilities in each adopted community.

Walsh, who said he defied doctors orders to rest from a throat ailment, thanked everyone involved in getting the Foundation up and running.

“Of course there will be challenges, but with the directors on board I am sure that we are all going to make it happen,” said the Ambassador-at-Large.

(The full article continues at http://www.cricketforchange.org.uk/news/fast_start_for_walsh_foundation)