Jamaican Organisations to be Honoured at Charity Ball

Several Jamaican organizations and individuals will be presented with awards at a charity gala to be held on Friday, April 27, at the Hibachi Restaurant at Penns Landing, 325 Columbus Boulevard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The awards will be given for their contribution to the development of sports in Jamaica, and will coincide with the 113th running of the Penn Relays at the Ben Franklin Stadium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, from April 26 to 28. The awardees include Victoria Mutual Building Society, the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association, Team Jamaica Bickle and Western Union.
Two other major awards will be presented to community activist, Barbara Wilson, President of the Philadelphia Caribbean Festival; and Wesmore Thomas, the former Montego Bay businessman and Sports Administrator who gave much support to football in St. James during the 1980s and 1990s.
The charity ball will be staged by Comets Club International, the overseas affiliate of the Montego Bay ‘Comets’ Athletics Club.
Team Jamaica Bickle, a New York based independent outfit, has been providing for students/athletes from Jamaica and the Caribbean community, particularly those involved in the Penn Relays.
The hospitality outfit has managed to successfully bring together critical areas of the Jamaican communities in Philadelphia and New York to benefit the athletes, along with Western Union. They will be presented with the Comets Club International ‘Spirit of Jamaica’ Award for their caring and convenient packaging of those goods and services so vital to the athletes’ well-being while they are away from home at the relays. Victoria Mutual Building Society will be recognised for its contribution to Boys and Girls Champs, and the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA), for its administrative work in sports. They will share the Comets Club International ‘Visionary’ Award.
Mr. Thomas and Miss Wilson, both of whom currently reside in Philadelphia, will be presented with the Philadelphia/Jamaica Outstanding Community Service Award for exemplary service to the community through sports and arts.
The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Harold Mignott, Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and Chair of the Jamaica Diaspora Board/Northeast USA Region.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Montego Bay ‘Comets’ Athletics Club 30th Anniversary Scholarship Fund, which will be launched at the Milo Western Relays in Montego Bay in February, 2008.