Our Story
A Family Adventure
Welcome to Upful Villa, our family vacation home in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth - where fishing, farming and community tourism are a way of life in this coastal, rural gem of a town.
Between family roots in St. Elizabeth and childhood experiences being raised in the early days of Rae Town as a fishing village, Treasure Beach felt like coming home. With a love of authentic old-time Jamaican food, culture and experiences, Treasure Beach was a natural fit for us.
Fun Fact: We originally bought the land as a base to continue to do community work. So let's start our story there.
The Importance of Community
All our lives we have built communities. From being founding members of Real Mona to continuing through various avenues supporting child/youth development - especially through education and sports - to eventually founding registered charitable organizations - Do Good Jamaica and Do Good International Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
In Treasure Beach, our primary areas of focus have been education and building resilience, especially in climate. Some of our projects include i) a special Crayons Count pilot project supporting local early childhood institutions ii) the creation of Happy House in the Breds Treasure Beach Sports Park - the first of its kind community early childhood center for learning by play iii) a climate vulnerability assessment and awareness project that included disaster risk management planning iv) facilitating the Likkle Book Boxes initiative (free libraries) to encourage literacy of all ages.
We are also integrally involved in environmental conservation, climate resilience, sustainable development, health and wellness as well as disaster risk management and actively support other community organizations such as The Breds Treasure Beach Foundation, The Treasure Beach Women's Group, The Treasure Beach Turtle Group and others.
The Meaning Of Upful
We love nature and the environment, and so we asked Marvin Goodman, a leading environmental architect, to design a house that maximized the benefits of natural light and ventilation. The name of the house is deliberate. In an authentic Jamaican way, the word 'upful' has more than one meaning. It means positive/cheerful/ happy, which we hope our guests will feel during their stay. It also means living in a good, positive way and we hope our beloved community and environment will benefit from the visitors who come.
By design, Upful is a peaceful retreat to relax, rest and recharge for the three generations - grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren - who call this special spot home. We hope our guests - especially our fellow Jamaicans in the Diaspora - consider Upful a home away from home. We invite you engage with us to help build a resilient community with sustainable livelihoods.
One love,
The Morrison Family
Here's a bit more about our story in The Sunday Gleaner: Dream House | Retirement property filled with rural-modern country charm