The Beach Times
For some, philanthropy and social awareness begins with an epiphany. For Australian Paul Salmon that moment was on Wall Street when, as a young immigrant trader, Paul was struck by how a fellow American trader was trying to figure out how to give 10 percent of his earnings to charity. "I grew up in an environment where charity began by giving your neighbor's son a dollar or two for a sponsored swim," he says. Twenty years later, Paul has refined that enlightenment and manifested it as a founding principle of the Rock House Foundation.

The Rock House foundation is, in an oblique manner, an extension of the Jamaican boutique hotel Paul owns together with five other partners. From the beginning, the hotel had aimed for a philosophy of sensible development alongside a developing economy. The program found its roots when the partners bought the hotel in 1994, already a well known destination for the funky and free of the 60's, the Rolling Stones among them. One of the partners, an Australian anthropologist, had existing connections with a government yard in Kingston's Trenchtown, the poverty stricken capital of Jamaica. Yards are the communal space in the center of the shanty towns that grew from the devastating 1951 Hurricane Charlie.

After a few years of targeted donations and getting the hang of the art of giving, the anthropologist left and a disconnect occurred with the ties to Kingston. It was then that the partners started looking closer to home in order to fill their philanthropic yearnings. In 2002, a local school came to their attention. The Negril All Ages School had a breakfast program that had been underwritten by a USAID program. This was about to expire. Paul and his colleagues stepped in to underwrite the program, guaranteeing all the kids started the day on a full stomach.

"As we developed our relationships with this aspect of the community we started to understand the real needs," he said. "Then it steamrolled as the relationship grew so we decided to formalize it." The foundation was registered in late 2003 in the US as a 501 (c)(3) non profit, its stated goal: To improve the human condition of children by combating endemic poverty in Jamaica. Lofty goals indeed! "We registered in the USA partly because we recognized that the target donors were US-based. We really didn't want to concentrate on local fund raising because we felt that was diverting important funds when we had access to a wider arena." In the intervening years, the foundation has raised an average of $120,000 a year and has developed a unique database and operating principle well beyond its profile. While programs such as this are not unique, the breadth of its relationships might well be. The foundation partners with USAID, the Negril Chamber of Commerce, the Peace Corps and the US Embassy.

The hotel itself, while deriving no direct benefits, underwrites all administrative costs of the foundation. This ensures every cent of the donations can be applied directly to programs and make it to the front line. "We work hard to make targeted donations by creating a capital program each year," said Paul. "Last year, we integrated and upgraded the pre-school, which sits on the adjacent property, added a cafeteria and new bathrooms." Next year they plan to upgrade the library, which is the oldest building in Negril and formerly a police station. Paul works hard to keep the entities separate, even though he operates the hotel with a similar community involvement philosophy to that of the foundation. "We don't put the foundation in the faces of our clients, but we are finding that while there still are the clients who simply want to come to Jamaica and enjoy a romantic getaway, they also yearn for a real experience. We are finding more clients with more depth." He hopes over time that will become an asset.

The hotel makes sure the wealth is spread. Staff are encouraged to think in the big picture and see the future as they might wish it for themselves. Several aspire to move north for jobs and opportunity. Others are happy here at the Rock House and have risen through the ranks to positions of responsibility.

Looking to the future, the members of the foundation and its chairman, Peter Rose, hope to take on more schools and expand its operations and perhaps even its mode of operation "e;We really have developed a lot of knowledge, acquired through hard lessons," says Peter Rose. "But what is really interesting to me is having a hotel that has a positive impact on the community."
The Beach Times, Jamaica Jive, May 2007"

Caribbean Travel & Life
True to the One Love philosophy of universal brotherhood, the owners of the Rockhouse Hotel created the nonprofit Rockhouse Foundation to battle poverty in both rural and inner-city Jamaica. The charity's inaugural project raised $160,000 to construct 1,200 square feet of new classroom space and update existing facilities at the Negril All Age School. The hotel underwrites all the administrative expenses of the foundation, ensuring that every dime donated goes directly to benefit local Jamaicans.
Caribbean Travel & Life, "Big Heart Love,"

Design Hotel Directions
Another great initiative is the Rockhouse Foundation, which gets its name from a hotel that was built on the cliffs overlooking Pristine Cove in Negril, Jamaica. It is an authentic retreat with thatched bungalows and an infinity pool, where the reggae plays and life can indeed be sweet. Unfortunately, life is not always so idyllic for the local population. Children are often the most vulnerable: they end up in overcrowded schools or don't get an education at all. They are deprived of the tools and skills that would allow them to secure better futures for themselves and their community. Recognizing the affliction - as well as the potential - of the island's youngest citizens, Paul Salmon and his three partners set up the Rockhouse Foundation in 2003. With a firm belief that "education is the pathway to productivity and self-determination," the Foundation delivers the means to prevent childhood poverty.
Directions, Design Hotels Semi-annual Magazine

London Magazine
The running costs of the Rockhouse Foundation, an American-based charity, are paid for by a hotel - also called the Rockhouse - a few miles along the coast. One might assume that a stay at a hotel so steeped in charity work is an ascetic experience or an exercise in worthiness. It is nothing of the sort. The Rockhouse is the best in the area - such a luxurious and guilt-free experience that whenever I venture outside and tell people where I am staying, I am met with envy. The foundation is the reason why the school, once dangerously dilapidated and overcrowded, and with a pupil-teacher ratio of 75:1, is the sunny, well-resourced place it is today. Being at the Rockhouse is like being welcomed into a large extended family. The hotel's contribution to the fine work at Negril All Age School only fosters the feeling of warmth and kinship one feels. And if one can combine a wonderful few days in the sun with a tiny contribution to the children of the people who make the place so hospitable, what could be better?
London Magazine, "Class Conscious: Stay in one of Jamaica's dreamiest hotels and you can help educate the local children"

Negril Guide
Paul Salmon, chairman of Rockhouse Hotel, also chairs Rockhouse Foundation, which adopted the Negril All Age School. "Our objective was not just a hotel, but also to be responsible investors in a developing economy like Jamaica's. . . responsible to the guests. . . the environment. . . the staff. . . .and the community"

In 2004, the foundation worked with school, chamber of commerce and government officials to construct 1,200 square feet of new classroom space and to install new electrical service, roofing, doors, windows, paint, fencing and furnishings. They also got the U.S. Agency International Development to donate money, the U.S. Embassy to donate computers and the Peace Corps to donate a volunteer.

How does all this involvement and the success of the foundation make Paul Salmon feel? "All the partners at the Rockhouse we have tremendous pride and sense of achievement. The best thing you can do in life is helping people. But there's so much more to do."
Negril Guide, "Visitors become investors; Rockhouse adopts school"

NY Lawyers
Pro bono attorneys Anne-Marie Shelley and Sheila Peluso at member firm Chadbourne & Parke have made a continuing commitment of time and legal expertise to a new foundation dedicated to helping children in Jamaica.

Rockhouse approached NYPLI in the fall of 2003, hoping to formalize and expand their fundraising capacity by creating a New York non-profit. They were also interested in a longer-term relationship with an attorney, hoping to find someone who would serve as pro bono general counsel. Chadbourne attorneys Anne-Marie Shelley and Sheila Peluso were excited by the opportunity to work with a client in a more extended way. "It is very rewarding to become involved with a client such as Rockhouse because we can assist the group with its short-term and long-term legal needs and see tangible results as Rockhouse pursues its mission," said Sheila.

"The Chadbourne team has been amazingly supportive," said Paul Salmon, Rockhouse Foundation President. "They have brought skills to the table and have made the whole process straightforward."

"It is a real opportunity for us to use our skills as attorneys for the benefit of such a great cause," said Anne-Marie.
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, "Pro Bono Works - Chadbourne & Parke,"