It was Community Services Day at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church on August 23 under the theme Go Light Your World.
As part of that occasion, the church considered its role and impact in the Anguillian community. In particular, it looked at a number of persons in the church and community who have, through their own various roles, contributed much to Anguilla over the years.
Five persons in the community, and along with two church members, were honoured. The seven were awarded certificates and pins – and also received gifts. The awardees were as follows:
• Mr Iwandai I Gumbs of Upbeat Radio. A former Senior Announcer and Sales and Marketing Officer at Radio Anguilla, Iwandai is an influential and popular radio personality, public speaker, candid commentator and preacher. He was trained in Public Relations and Radio Broadcasting at the Caribbean Institute of Mass Communications at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. He holds various awards for his work and service in Anguilla.
• Mrs Iona Webster, an Elder at the Mount Fortune Church. Over the years, she has served the congregation as First Elder; Family Life Director; Member of the Board of Elders; Church Clerk; Sabbath School Teacher and Church Board Member. In addition to Elder, she currently serves as Community Services Associate, Adult Sabbath School Teacher and Member of the Finance Committee.
• Mrs Rita Harrigan, an ardent Seventh-day Adventist. She has worked in the medical field, for over thirty-four years, in Anguilla and abroad. She served in various capacities including Nurses’ Assistant, Public Health Nurse, Midwife and Registered Nurse. Mrs Harrigan has served the church in the capacities of Community Services Coordinator, Health and Temperance Leader, Pathfinder Nurse and Church Board Member. She has participated in many outreach programmes enabling persons to obtain checks on, and monitoring of, their blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
• Mr Alwyn J Richardson, Programme Officer in the Department of Disaster Management. He is engaged in many Community Risk Reduction projects to enhance community resilience, and in various training programmes. Mr Richardson is also involved with his friend, Leroy Richardson, in Native Sons Production – a mechanism used for preserving the rich and unique culture of Anguilla as well as honouring persons for their contributions to Anguilla. He is also a co-producer of a weekly talk show – on Kool FM Radio 103.3 – Culturally Yours.
• Leroy Richardson (Brother Lee). He is the Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Anguilla Public Service with various responsibilities for solid waste disposal. Among other areas of service, he has the distinction of having initiated the first Vector Awareness Eradication Programme in Anguilla in 1999. Mr Richardson is a talk show host on Kool FM 103.3 where he also promotes various community events, projects and festivals among other services. He is passionate about Anguilla’s culture as well about the island’s children for whom he provides special programmes.
• Mr James (Danny) Smith-Rogers. His name is synonymous with community cleaning services and is part-owner of Krystal Environmental Services. He is a friend of the less fortunate and is considered to be a genuine, dedicated and caring person in the community. Mr Smith has worked in a number of Caribbean islands and later saw it fit to return to his homeland to serve his community.
• Mr Stephenson Rogers. A graduate of several local, regional and international institutions, he has served in the Anguilla Public Service in the area of Public and Environmental Health. He has held the posts of Public Health Inspector, National Epidemiologist/Statistician and Principal Environmental Health Officer. Mr Rogers currently serves as Public Relations Officer for the Anguilla Diabetes Association, Consultant/Operator of Rogers Exterminating Pest Control Services, Managing Director of Krystal Environmental Services—(a garbage collection company) and Deputy Chairman of the Water Corporation of Anguilla.
All award recipients were commended by Dr Henry Peters, of the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, who delivered the sermon on community services. Dr Peters, who served as Resident SDA Minister in Anguilla twenty-one years ago, said he was delighted to present the certificates and pins to the awardees for their services to the Anguilla community.
The conference official, who has responsibility for the community services arm of the church, and several other directorship duties, also took the opportunity to preside over the investiture of a number of community services officers at Mount Fortune SDA Church.
