Golden Krust Foundation Honours Jamaicans in the US

Ambassador to the United States (US), Professor Gordon Shirley and Consul General to New York, Dr. Basil K. Bryan, are among a distinguished group of professionals, who were recently honoured by the New York-based Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation, for their work in the fields of education, justice, entertainment, government and business.
At an awards banquet held recently in New York, Dr. Bryan, who will demit office at the end of the year, was recognized for “his selfless commitment to the upliftment of the Jamaican community” and for his dignity and poise in the performance of his duties.
The other honourees were: Dr. Carolyn Williams, president of the Bronx Community College; and Jamaicans for Justice Sam D. Walker, the first Jamaican to be elected to the US Supreme Court; Noel Hankin, Senior Vice President of Multicultural Relations, Moet Hennessey; Hopeton Lewis, entertainer; and Dennis Hawthorne, entrepreneur.
Also in the audience were 10 college-bound scholars of Jamaican heritage, who are beneficiaries under the Foundation.
Chairman of the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation, Lowell Hawthorne, said that the Foundation, which is the humanitarian arm of the Jamaican-owned Golden Krust Corporation, will continue to provide tangible assistance to those who are most deserving.
He said that the establishment of the Foundation is a demonstration of the kind of partnership that it takes to make a difference in the lives of those who are most vulnerable.
This year, 13 students at the Oberlin High School in Jamaica will receive scholarships from the Foundation, bringing the total to 50 since the first awards were handed out in 1999.
While acknowledging that the Foundation is still in its formative years, Mr. Hawthorne said that he is pleased to know that the initiative is making a difference in the lives of ambitious young people in the US and Jamaica.
The Foundation honours the memory of Mavis and Ephraim Hawthorne, “parents who carved an indelible imprint on our lives by putting people before profit and taught us to embrace such principles of honesty, benevolence and selflessness,” Mr. Hawthorne said.
The evening’s entertainment package featured the Caribbean In-Sync Band, Hopeton Lewis and Delroy West.Mr. Hawthorne is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, which offers a specialty menu to Caribbean Americans from 115 locations in eight states.