BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A NEW EXECUTIVE has been elected for the Cuban Alumni Association – a new executive that is motivated to “make a difference in all the communities in St. Kitts”.
The executive consists of Dr. Dail Crawford (President), Theresa Maynard (Vice President), La Reine Gumbs (Treasurer), Cherrilyn Warde Crawford (PRO), Nadine Natta (Secretary), and three floor members - Hollis Prentice, Theodore Phipps and Carolyn Brownbill.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, the new president said that they are hoping to make a difference in all the communities in St. Kitts.
“My goal is not for this group to be just another community group, but a vibrant group that would help in the overall development of different communities as we’re planning to make a difference in all the communities in St. Kitts.
“We will be doing work in the communities in different programmes, working with youth and also health wise so we want people to know we’re going to be making things better in the community,” he said.
The Cuban Alumni Association is a group of graduates from Cuba, who are committed to the continued development of bilateral relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Federation.
“All those who have gone to Cuba to study form a part of the Association. We are a community based group, a non-profit organization with our main aim of giving back to the community.
Crawford said that next year will mark 15 years since persons have been pursuing studies in Cuba under the Labour government.
“Over the years we have had a lot of professionals who are here contributing to the overall development of St. Kitts. We have Engineers, Architectures, Psychologists, Nurses, Doctors, Linguistics, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers, Teachers, Economists and Accountants, a broad scope of people who studied in Cuba,” he said,
Many persons may remember that the Association was also the pioneer in St. Kitts in holding free health fairs and other charitable work which included work in the Children’s Home and assisting the needy in the community.
The Association has also done work with Project Strong where they became mentors for its students.
A graduation ceremony which will include government officials and the Cuban Embassy will be held soon for the students who completed their studies in Cuba.
“Every year we normally have a graduation ceremony in St. Kitts because most parents are unable to travel to Cuba to see the students graduate. So we thought it was fitting to have some appreciation here for those who would have graduated,” Crawford said.
There are also two other groups linked to the Cuban Alumni Association; there is a Parents’ Association and Friends of the Cuba Alumni Association.
The past executive consisted of Dr. Dwain Archibald (President), Dr. Vance Gilbert (Vice President), La Reine Gumbs (Treasurer), Theodore Phipps (Secretary) and Hollis Prentice (PRO).
