ATLVets Nav Component — Preview Only
Advancing The Line for Veterans & Families
☎ (404) 494-0557 ✉ info@atlvets.org
Operation TALLAWAH | ATLVets — Veterans Rebuilding Jamaica
ATLVets · International Mission
Operation TALLAWAH

Rise Up
for Jamaica.

Rebuilding Schools. Restoring Futures. Led by Veterans.

Hurricane Melissa destroyed over 100 schools across western Jamaica. Two veterans answered the call — one American, one Jamaican. Now ATLVets is mobilizing a community to rebuild safe learning spaces for an entire generation of children who have nowhere to go.

Donate to Rebuild → See the Mission
100+
Schools damaged or destroyed
86%
Single mothers — sole providers in affected communities
$25K
Sponsors one complete primary school repair
$25
Equips one child to return to learning
Children cannot wait for bureaucracy.
Every day without a roof is another day without an education. Veterans don't wait — and neither should you.
Donate Now →
The Story

When the Storm
Passed, Veterans
Showed Up.

When Hurricane Melissa made landfall, over 100 schools across western Jamaica were left without roofs. Books destroyed. Desks washed away. Single mothers — 86% of whom are the sole providers in their households — lost the only safe space to send their children during the workday.

Karl Chambers didn't hesitate. His school in Salt Marsh was under water. He launched food delivery efforts within 72 hours. But he needed help. Enter Bindley Sangster — the Jamaican-American Air Force veteran who offered more than coffee. He brought a community. That community is ATLVets.

"It was nothing short of a war zone. But our people weren't prepared for war. Now veterans will help them recover like we've done before."
— Bindley Sangster, U.S. Air Force Veteran · Founder, Sangster's Coffee
Read the Full Story →
Mission Leaders

Two Veterans.
One Mission.

This campaign was built by two people who refused to watch from a distance — a Jamaican Army veteran who has spent years fighting illiteracy, and an American Air Force veteran who came home to rebuild the island that made him.

KAR
Jamaica Defense Force · 20 Years
Major (Ret.) Karl Chambers
Founder, Integrity Children's Fund · Literacy Advocate · Western Jamaica

A 20-year veteran of the Jamaica Defense Force, Karl Chambers founded the Integrity Children's Fund (ICF) to combat the deep-rooted crisis of teenage illiteracy. Through ICF, Karl and his team support primary and remedial schools in Kingston and western Jamaica — including Jacob's Well Primary School, now destroyed by Hurricane Melissa. Karl's mission is clear: give every child a foundation in reading, and lift families out of generational poverty.

"We can't teach a child to read if rain is falling on their textbook. First we build a roof. Then we build a mind."
Hear from Karl
Bindley Sangster at Sangster's Cafe, Atlanta
U.S. Air Force Veteran
Bindley Sangster
Founder, Sangster's Coffee · Son of Jamaica · Atlanta, GA

A U.S. Air Force veteran and founder of Sangster's Coffee, Bindley returned to his roots in the hills of Jamaica — literally. His family's coffee farms are part of the island's heritage. But Hurricane Melissa didn't just disrupt supply chains; it devastated the communities that raised him. Bindley now mobilizes his platform and resources to rebuild schools and reconnect diaspora veterans to service with purpose.

"It was nothing short of a war zone. But our people weren't prepared for war. Now veterans will help them recover like we've done before."
Hear from Bindley
On the Ground

What Jamaica
Looks Like Now.

This is not a press release. This is what our veterans walked into — and what they are walking out of, school by school.

Operation TALLAWAH — Full Mission Video
From the Ground — Jamaica
Destruction & Recovery — Photo Gallery
Hurricane Melissa damage — Black River, Jamaica Jacob's Well Primary School after Hurricane Melissa ATLVets volunteers rebuilding in Jamaica Rebuilding at Jacob's Well Veterans working together in Jamaica Operation TALLAWAH team on the ground
Your Impact

Every Dollar
Has a Name.

This is not a vague donation to a general fund. Every contribution has a specific, tangible use — and you will know exactly what it accomplished.

$25
Equip a Child to Learn
A full school supply kit — pencils, paper, workbooks, and a backpack. A week's worth of nutritious lunches for a student displaced by the hurricane. For $25, you put hope back in a child's hands.
Donate $25 →
$100
Restore the Tools of Learning
New desks and chairs for one classroom. Age-appropriate reading books and phonics cards for early literacy programs. Art supplies for therapy and creativity after trauma. $100 puts structure back where there was only rubble.
Donate $100 →
$500
Shelter a Classroom
Weatherproof tarps and temporary structures for 20 children to return to learning. Dry storage for salvaged books. Chalkboards, lighting, and fans for a functional temporary classroom. $500 turns chaos into a classroom.
Donate $500 →
$1K
Employ & Empower
Two weeks of wages for a Jamaican carpenter, plumber, or electrician. Local purchase of lumber, zinc sheeting, nails, and concrete — fueling both education and the local economy. $1,000 rebuilds a school and puts people back to work.
Donate $1,000 →
$5K
Rebuild the Essentials
Materials to replace a full zinc roof section. Kitchen reconstruction for one school so children can eat a hot lunch again. Water purification and cistern installation for safe drinking water. $5,000 keeps the rain out for good.
Donate $5,000 →
$25K
Sponsor a Primary School
Complete structural repair of a primary school — roof, walls, floors, wiring. Furnishings for classrooms, restrooms, and kitchen. A permanent recognition plaque and annual impact report. $25,000 gives 60 children a safe place to learn, eat, and dream.
Contact Us for Sponsorship →
Other Ways to Help.
Buy Sangster's Coffee$5 from every bag goes directly to the Jamaica rebuilding effort. Shop now →
Volunteer as a Veteran TradesmanCarpenters, electricians, plumbers — contact us to join a deployment to Jamaica.
Corporate SponsorshipSponsor a school roof, a classroom, or the full rebuild. Recognition at the school and in ATLVets materials. Contact us →
Contribute MaterialsTents, furnishings, tools, school supplies, and hygiene kits. Contact us to coordinate a material donation.
Sangster's Cafe — Atlanta, GA
Partner · Sangster's Coffee

Every Cup
Counts.

Bindley Sangster's family has been growing coffee in the hills of Jamaica for generations. Sangster's Coffee is the bridge between Jamaica's heritage and Atlanta's veteran community — and right now, every bag of Sangster's Coffee you buy puts $5 directly into the Jamaica school rebuild.

$5 per bag from every Sangster's Coffee purchase goes directly to support the Jamaica school rebuilding effort through Operation TALLAWAH.
Shop Sangster's Coffee →
ATLVets Resources

Read the Full Story.

The full story of Operation TALLAWAH — how Hurricane Melissa changed Jamaica, how two veterans answered the call, and what the mission looks like on the ground.

Read the Article →

Report

Harassment or bullying behavior
Contains mature or sensitive content
Contains misleading or false information
Contains abusive or derogatory content
Contains spam, fake content or potential malware

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

  • See blocked member's posts
  • Mention this member in posts
  • Invite this member to groups
  • Message this member
  • Add this member as a connection

Please note: This action will also remove this member from your connections and send a report to the site admin. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Report

You have already reported this .

Stay tuned for more and let us know how we can assist you!

Are you ready to Advance The Line?