As International Women’s Day celebrations continue, the St. James Community Improvement Committee awarded seven outstanding women from the community for their tremendous contributions in various fields.
President of the St. James Community Improvement Committee, Maurice Simpson, paid tribute to the women for their contributions in sports, culture, and business, noting the event served as a reminder of the unique impact and achievements of members of the St. James community.
“Today, not being the first time, we wanted to make it an ongoing tradition. Here’s to the women that paved the way and to those who are making their mark. Keep pushing boundaries and shining bright.”
Mr. Simpson said while the Committee sees the importance of honouring community members, plans are also in place to address infrastructural issues in St. James.
“One thing we have been working on, and this comes from our Past President, Mr. Anthony Fergerson, based on what’s happening with development up the hills, we’ve been having a lot of unusual flooding, and we would like to put plans in place for the people who are usually affected by flooding. With respect to disasters as well, we would like to put things in place to set up shelters.”
Cynthia Toney, one of the honourees, reflected on her involvement with her youth scout team.
“I was involved with Trinity Cathedral with my scouts, and I have been with them for many, many years. I took them to camp overseas every two years. My meetings used to be on Friday, and every first Sunday of the month, we had a church service, where we took up the National Flag, the Scout Flag, and the Cub Scout Flag.”
Former business owner Barbara Joseph was honoured for her contributions to the business sector, where she has made a significant impact for over four decades.
“I love St. James. I have never lived anywhere else but in St. James, neither my family. Some years ago, my husband and they, they lit the streets in Port of Spain. We in St. James were the first community to put lights on the streets. I donated many things on to that lighting, and my husband, he did the actual hooking up, together with a lot of other people, because we lit the street here as well. Ms. Toney was involved in that, she donated.”
Other notable honourees of the night included Zariah Ali, recognised for her family’s legacy as the first to sell roti in St. James, the roti spot is popularly known as Kanhai Roti; Anica Baptiste-Campbell, for her contributions to education as principal of St. Mary’s Mucurapo Girls’ R.C. School; and Jennilyn Raphael, who was celebrated for her dedicated service to the St. James Children’s Carnival Committee.