From Miramar to Jamaica, this group is building culture of sisterhood and service
A Miramar business owner heads a cultural organization that spans the state.
Jamaican Women of Florida president Venessa Walker has helped recruit Jamaican women in Miramar and across Florida and led service trips to the island.
Walker grew up in Miramar and now runs Walker Chiropractic and Wellness Center at 8844 Miramar Parkway.
“I really love the fact of serving the community that I grew up in,” Walker told the Miramar News.
It helps her mobilize more women.
“They call Miramar ‘Little Jamaica,’ so I think it’s just a natural [thing] that happens,” she said.
To make an impact on the community and empower Jamaican women in Florida, Walker creates service opportunities and hosts events that bring women together under common causes.
Walker and a group of JWOF members recently returned from Jamaica, where they worked with the girls of Melody House, a nonprofit near Montego Bay that cares for abandoned and abused girls.
It’s the “little things that you may not hear or see … the individual impact,” she said. “The staff, they’re utterly grateful.”
JWOF has helped secure internet and computers for Melody House, repainted areas and taken care of the chicken coop. One girl in the house received a $1,000 academic scholarship.
“When we go down, it’s kind of like your auntie coming home,” she said. “It’s humbling ... to know that you can bring some joy for them in that moment.”
JWOF members are often seen at health fairs or school events across Broward. They provided academic scholarships to first- and second-generation Jamaican women totaling $41,000 last year.
They also traveled to pack and ship supplies when Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica in October.
The organization has a range of women, from the younger generations to 60 and above, and they help each other whether someone needs a place to stay on the island or needs help getting to a doctor’s appointment.
There are nearly 300 members across the state.
Previous president Michelle Williamson told the Miramar News her hope is that the group is recognized as an organization that gives back.
She found JWOF online when she was looking for ways to connect with her Jamaican culture and served as president from 2025-26.
“We have judges, we have lawyers, we have teachers, we have homemakers, we have retirees, we have young people. It was just an array of beautiful women coming together in a sisterhood,” she said.
Currently, their Back to School Drive runs until July 31 to benefit Walker Elementary in Fort Lauderdale.
Plus, their signature free Health and Wellness Fair is Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Vernon E. Hargray Youth Enrichment Center in Miramar.
“Just seeing all the things that we’re capable of doing when we work together, it was just amazing,” Williamson said. “You fall in love with what you’re doing.”
