BY SIMONE J. SMITH
Generosity is said to be the main feature of Vincentian conduct; they are people known to give of themselves and their resources willingly and unconditionally. It is no wonder that the St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Toronto has such a wonderful reputation. They officially began operating in December 1968, and they have decided to take all of 2019 to celebrate their 50 years of being in operation. The very first meeting convened at 2:00 pm on December 1, 1968, at 12 Queen Street East, Toronto. Since then, the organization has grown, and they are run under a Board of Directors; the current Board of Directors is as listed:
- Jimmy Lewis – president
- Cordel Telfer – vice-president
- Prudence Morton -Secretary
- Dennis Bucchan – Treasurer
- Anthony Lavia
- Bernadette Ryan-Phillips
- Erline Granderson
- Kenneth Farrell
- Cornetta Mason
SVGAT remains active in the community by providing programming at different levels; their most notable programs are: the SVGAT Scholarship Program, and the Adopt-A-Child Program.
SVGAT Scholarship Program
Each year, the organization presents two bursaries of $1,000.00 to students who have St. Vincent and the Grenadines heritage.
Adopt-A-Child Program
In 2007, an organization of St. Vincent and the Grenadines nationals who live in the GTA launched the Adopt-A-Child Program in 2007. The goal was to provide assistance to children in primary school who reside in St. Vincent. They wanted to test the idea that if given financial assistance, a child would do very well in their schooling. The initiated the program in 2008 and started with two students: one from the Spring Village Methodist School, and one from Cane End Government School. In 2013, two other children were beneficiaries: One student from Fairhall Government School, and the other from Tourama Government School. As suspected, when the results came in for these students, they all did very well when compared to students who did not have the financial help that the chosen students had.
After the discovery of the benefits of such a program, in 2018, the organization (with the assistance of other community leaders and members), were able to sponsor six other children from six primary schools: Buccament Government, Calliaqua Anglican, Dickson Methodist, Lauders Primary, Lower Bay Public in Paget Farm,Bequia and Marriaqua Government. The sponsorships began in January 2019 and last for 5 years. Each time a group of students is to be selected, the association draws randomly from a list of primary schools in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. When the schools are selected, the association communicates with the school and has them form a small committee which includes a community resident (who is not a school teacher) to select a child based on his or her financial needs to receive the financial support for a five-year period. The formed committee then acts as trustees for the selected students and liaise with the child, parent and the association during the term of sponsorship.
The St. Vincent and Grenadines Association of Toronto is proud of this program. The Board of Directors are grateful for the members of the community and other individuals who support this program. They also extend their thanks to the schools that participate in the program, and the children and parents who accept the gesture. If you are interested in becoming a part of The St. Vincent and Grenadines Association, visit their website at http://www.vincytoronto.com/profile.htm.
