New York City, New York, USA, September 1st, 2012 -- Absolutely stunning! Over the Labor Day weekend a festive and distinguished group gathered in New York City at the Sandy Point Benevolent Society (SPBS) 2nd Annual Awards Banquet which was held at Maestro’s Banquet Hall.
The banquet was a celebration of camaraderie and success from across the twin island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, and with the support of Kittitians and Nevisians and the wider Caribbean community in the Diaspora, it easily surpassed expectations. The hall was filled to capacity.
The banquet was held under the patronage of Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, The Right Honorable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas who delivered remarks and acknowledged that he was pleasantly surprised at the tremendous show of support and solidarity demonstrated by the impressive turnout. Other dignitaries included the Honorable Shawn K. Richards, MP and Elected Representative for the Electoral District of St. Christopher 5 (Sandy Point/Fig Tree) who also delivered remarks, the Federation’s Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Jacinth L. Henry-Martin and the Federation’s ambassador to the UN, Delano Bart, Q.C.
The Award Winners: Distinguished Community Service Award
One of the energizing events of the evening was the Keynote Address that was delivered by one of the honorees, His Excellency Dr. Simone Jones-Hendrickson. In his presentation which evoked much laughter and pleasant reflection, Dr. Simone Jones- Hendrickson outlined some of the signal events in St. Kitts that informed his progress as well as his captivating book, Sonny Jim of Sandy Point. This inspiring speech was followed by the presentation of awards to three outstanding Sandy Pointers for their successes and contribution to national development.
Dr. Simon B. Jones Hendrickson,
Keynote Speaker , Educator, Author, Economist Dr. Hannah Guishard, Veterinarian, Animal rights advocate; humanitarian Dr. Joseph Halliday,
Former Principal and Educator
(Award accepted by his sister, Ilma Hodge)
SPBS also used this occasion to recognize several persons as well as organizations like SKNVibes for their unstinting support of its initiatives though they are not members.
The celebration
The banquet concluded with entertainment and dance. This included the drawing of the Fundraising Raffle as well as an array of door prizes which included copies of the book, Sonny Jim of Sandy Point. Breakaway Brass Band and Hansel “Richie” Buntin provided a combination of Caribbean songs that had many of the patrons dancing. Richie Buntin gave a preview of one of his pieces for the soca monarch competition for St. Kitts National Carnival 2012 and it was well received. The dancing continued until the event ended just before 2:30am.
One of the most delightful experiences was to hear the many well wishes from those in attendance. Many patrons expressed delight with the very light-hearted atmosphere and jubilance at the event, and indicated their commitment to attend future SPBS award celebrations.
Reflecting on the evening, Dr. Simon B. Jones- Hendrickson said, “The gala was class in its orientation and the sincerity and in the level of dedication that was exuded from all of the persons involved in putting on the gala. It made me as a Sandy Pointer and a Kittitian especially proud. I wish to commend all of the persons who so diligently crafted this outstanding affair and for bringing such a wide cross section of our nationals under one roof to celebrate excellence from our home town.
“SPBS has been challenged and motivated by the sentiments of the Keynote speaker who advanced, “from a small acorn emerges a mighty oak. The SPBS is an acorn. I can envision the full girth of a mighty oak as the association moves from strength to strength.” The organization remains committed to driving excellence in education and related community activities in St. Kitts & Nevis and takes this opportunity to express its sincere thanks to all who patronized this event.
The SPBS Second Awards Banquet has been acclaimed “an outstanding demonstration of excellence in representing the best of what Sandy Pointers, specifically, and Kittitians and Nevisians, generally, can do when they put their minds to anything” (Dr. Simone Jones- Hendrickson).
The organization therefore hopes that these sentiments serve to stimulate a greater sense of civic-mindedness and national pride for all Kittitians and Nevisians as well as to galvanize more support for their initiatives which are carried out for the betterment of educational and community initiatives in their homeland.
2013 will be bigger and better!
To learn more about SPBS, please visit us at www.spbsinc.org.
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