In 1994 Denise Cagley-Jefferson had the opportunity to visit the Blue Mountains of Jamaica as part of an interdisciplinary course at Northland College. With an adventurous spirit, Denise couldn’t pass it up. Along with 15 other students, Denise made her first journey to the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.

Denise was assigned to work as a volunteer at Minto All Age School in the district Hagley Gap, St Thomas. Trash littered the rain forest, roads were falling apart, telephones didn’t exist and chickens roamed freely. After several days of culture shock and adjustment, Denise began to make friends with locals. They told her stories about the lack of employment and access to health care. She learned that the school had only one stapler, but no staples. Clean running water, toilets and showers were luxuries. The more she learned about their lives, the more she felt compelled to do something about it.

Upon returning from Jamaica, Denise joined AmeriCorps NCCC. Although she was serving many unmet needs in the United States, she was haunted by the situation facing the Jamaicans in Hagley Gap. Denise shared the stories of her semester in Jamaica with her fellow Corps Members including Sarah (Scott) Weaver, RN. The two young women organized a school supply drive to send supplies to the Minto All Age School near Hagley Gap. Denise and Sarah spent many nights talking about how they would improve the situation of the people that Denise had grown to love.

After several years apart the two young women met on October 5, 2002 to form a plan of action for the formation of the Blue Mountain Project. They worked together to form the founding board of directors which included Zach Zager (former board President and Treasurer), Wendy Jason (Vice President and Executive Director), Christine Topinka (former Treasurer – Secretary), Katie Greco (former Secretary). This young, energetic board developed inventive ways to communicate and run an international non-profit.

In the fall of 2003, Denise and Sarah received a donation to provide disaster relief after a series of hurricanes hit the island of Jamaica. The pair travelled together to Hagley Gap to meet with community leaders to access the needs and desires of the community. After consultation with the Jamaican Community Development Committee (CDC) in Hagley Gap, it was decided that health care was the first priority. The CDC granted the Blue Mountain Project a deserted building in Hagley Gap to begin its work. Denise accessed damaged homes in the community and organized repairs, while Sarah set up the first clinic with a backpack of medical supplies and two lawn chairs in courtyard. Once again, the young women found themselves spending the evening talking about their hopes and dreams for this community after a hard day of work. It was decided that Denise would stay in Jamaica to develop the Service Learning Program and establish relationships with important Jamaican contacts, while Sarah would return to United States to market the program internationally, recruit volunteers and locate resources.

They began completing the necessary paperwork to formally establish the Blue Mountain Project. On July 14, 2004 the Blue Mountain Project was granted tax exempt status as a 501(c) (3) organization in the United States. On April 28, 2005 the Blue Mountain Project was registered with the Office of the Registrar of Companies in Jamaica.

Today, the Blue Mountain Project continues to serve the Jamaican people by educating and empowering them through health care and academic opportunities through the hard work of the staff and board of directors. The long term goal of the project is create sustainable, lasting change that is embraced by the community.

Founders

Denise Cagley-Jefferson, Founder, Former Executive Director

Denise has been working with the community of Hagley Gap since 1994. She has a Behavioral Sciences Degree from the Metropolitan State College of Denver and has worked as the Executive Director for the BMP since 2004. She currently lives between Waterloo, IA and Hagley Gap, St Thomas. She is married to Otis and has one son, Irie. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading and getting a good massage.

Sarah Weaver, Founder, Former Operations Manager