Shaggy, “Mr. Boombastic,” is set for induction into the Council of Voluntary Social Services (CVSS) Hall of Fame. He will be honored for his decade of exceptional support of the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston. The induction occured during the third staging of the awards ceremony at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on December 8, 2016. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness was the guest speaker at the event. In 2016, Shaggy presented a $55 million check to the Bustamante Hospital from proceeds from the “Shaggy and Friends Concert” fundraiser. The concert, which was first given in 2009, has raised over $256 million, which has been used to acquire 450 pieces of medial equipment and to provide treatment to more than 77,000 children every year. According to Saffrey Brown, chair of the CVSS Volunteer Awards and Hall of Fame, the honors reflect the extraordinary contributions made by volunteers who work hard to support their respective organizations and charities. CVSS is particularly pleased to honor Shaggy, who has made such a difference in the lives of Jamaica’s children through his philanthropic work, she noted. Hall of Fame inductees are selected every two years. The winners at the 2016 awards ceremony included Alethia Peart as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year; Neville Charltonas Young Leader; Wisynco Group as Private Sector Volunteer of the Year; Nadine Grant-Brown as Public Sector Volunteer of the Year; Digicel Foundation as Non-Profit Organization and Jamaica 4-H Clubs as CVSS Member Agency of the Year.

Here is an excerpt from Shaggy’s Biography on is Non-Profit work.
Undaunted by the success of his business ventures and his music, Shaggy has always lived on the premise that “to whom much is giving, much is required.” With this belief, Shaggy took on the role of philanthropist. What began as donations of medical equipment and visits to the Bustamante Hospital For Children to distribute gifts during the holidays, paint rooms, donate beds and creation of a garden, gave birth to the Shaggy Foundation. Developed in 2008, Shaggy recruited business associates, fellow recording artists and sponsors to assist in hosting an annual charity event in which all proceeds are donated to the hospital to help defray the cost of medical equipment. To date, the Shaggy Foundation has been instrumental in raising over $85 million (JMD = $1 million USD) for the hospital.

Shaggy sought other avenues to raise funds. For example, he co-wrote a book and CD set entitled “Shaggy Parrot and the Reggae Band.” Sales from the book and CD set benefits the Bustamante Hospital in Jamaica and Tatiana McIntosh Scholarship Fund in Florida. The book was also donated to basic schools in Jamaica to be used as part of their curriculum. Additionally, the artist partnered with Pan Caribbean Financial planners for their 11th annual SIGMA Corporate Run. With a 5k course that attracted 9500 runners, walker and wheelchairparticipants, the event raised $14 million (JMD)/$165,000 (USD) for the Bustamante Hospital.