‘He was too great to stop at his death’ - JP Samuels Youth Foundation keeps legacy alive

For Alex Ward, losing his best friend Jean-Pierre ‘JP’ Samuels felt like losing a brother and a purpose at the same time.

Samuels died on September 29, 2025 with so much still ahead of him.

The 25-year-old had just finished his master’s degree in corporate finance and was about to start working at a wealth management firm so he could support his mother when he suddenly took ill and died shortly after.

But instead of letting his name fade, Ward and a group of Samuels’ closest friends turned their grief into action and launched the JP Samuels Youth Foundation.

Ward describes his late friend in three words: jovial, honest, and selfless.

“He was known for playing football and dominoes, for the most part. He was my domino partner,” Ward recalled. “Even though I would not consider myself any form of footballer, he would always call me and invite to come play despite how many times I told him I’m not coming, but eventually I would yield.”

Samuels’ mother, Trecha Thomas, remembers him the same way.

“Jean Pierre, my first-born and my best friend – as I affectionately called him, ‘My Pooh Bear’ because he loved Winnie the Pooh. He was a goodly and godly child, very humble, loving, the best big brother, fierce protector of his siblings, obedient, peacemaker, jovial, selfless and would always put others before himself,” she told The Gleaner.

As a boy, he dreamt of being a pilot and excelled at mathematics. He later became what his mother calls “a staunch and devoted Chelsea fan and a skilled domino player”.

The idea for the foundation came almost immediately after his death.

“Jean Pierre’s legacy was too great to stop at his death so we created the JP Samuels Youth Foundation to ensure that his name would live on and impact a generation,” Ward said. “Every time we get to impact a child, it’s almost as if he’s still here and we can see him smiling.”

The values they are pushing forward are the ones Samuels lived by.

POSITIVE OUTLOOK

“Pursue excellence among everything else,” Ward said. “Despite his living conditions and socioeconomic barriers, you would never know [he was not well off] because of his outlook. Despite all that, he still excelled, and that’s what our mission is – to provide youth with the resources, guidance and support systems necessary to excel and build brighter future.”

Thomas said members of the foundation have become like family.

“They are all my children. It has helped me immensely throughout these past months having all their support and love. To know I lost my boy, but gained this blessing,” she said.

Today, the foundation runs a back-to-school drive, training programmes, and forums on financial literacy and etiquette, as well as résumé workshops. It also works with the National Parenting Support Commission.

Ward said preteens to early adolescents are the main beneficiaries.

“I believe that is really the make-or-break period in a lot of young lives,” he reasoned.

One story stands out to him. That of Shericka McDermott of Ascot High, who lost her mother while her father was unemployed.

“We ended up taking her up under our wings and covered her school fees, contributed with getting items for her CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) examinations and paying for her graduation package and now she is a proud high school graduate,” recalled Ward. “Every time that I see her father, Trevor McDermott, he always expresses his gratitude and I won’t ever forget when he hugged me and cried tears of joy and appreciation.”

The community has rallied, too.

Ward credits The Pentecostal Gospel Temple, Wolmer’s old boys, Barbican Division Councillor Joy Cotterell, and the Grants Pen community for supporting their back-to-school drive.

The main goal over the next three to five years is to establish youth development centres, starting in St Thomas, where Samuels grew up, then expanding to other parishes.

The foundation also hopes to impact Holy Family Primary and Wolmer’s Boys’ through grants, scholarships and, potentially, a maths competition.

When asked what Samuels would say if he saw it all today, Ward didn’t hesitate.

“I definitely think he would say, ‘Bare things you gwaan wid, enuh, Pups’, and then give his signature smile then infectious laughter. He was really a simple guy, but he would be proud for sure, knowing that his love is felt even beyond the grave.”

His mother agreed.

“First of all, I know he would be smiling and saying, ‘I always tell mommy I have a friend for every area of my life.’ He would be proud to see all we’re doing because he strongly believed in uplifting the youth,” Thomas said.

For her, his greatest achievement wasn’t academic – it’s that “he knew God and that he had a relationship with Him. He would always include prayer in every aspect in his life and I believe that is what made the difference.”

The foundation can be supported via Instagram or at http://jpsamuelsfoundation.org.

antoine.lodge@gleanerjm.com