News Americas, PHILADELPHIA, PA, Tues. Aug. 14, 2012: Team Jamaica Bickle, the non-profit organization that provides food and hospitality services for the visiting athletes and officials from Jamaica and the Caribbean who attend the annual Penn Relays in Philadelphia annually, will be celebrating Jamaica’s 50th Independence in style on Saturday, August 25.
The event, a dinner and dance that will honor eight outstanding pioneers for their contributions, past and present to the Caribbean society, is set for the Double Tree Hotel, located at Broad Street at Locust Street in Philadelphia.
Jamaica gained independence from the United Kingdom on August 6th 1962. The celebration is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM with a cocktail hour, followed by dinner, awards ceremony and dancing.
The 2012 honorees are: Dr. Derek Suragh, who will receive The Norman Manley Award for Accomplishments in Medicine; Mrs. Sandra Haye-Carr, who will be presented with the The Nanny Award for Citizenship Service; Dr. Horace Russell, who will be given The Marcus Garvey Award for Contribution in assisting in the Formulation of Jamaica’s Constitution and Pledge in 1962; Mrs. Cynthia Crenshaw, who will receive The George William Gordon Award for Entrepreneurial Foresight in the Travel Industry; Mrs. Barbara H. Wilson, who will obtain The Paul Bogle Award for Leadership and Community Engagement to the Caribbean and Other Ethnic Groups; Mr. Linval “Isis” Osbourne, who will be bestowed with The Lifetime Achievement Award for Commitment to Service; Mr. Herb Pennicott, who will receive The Samuel Sharpe Award for Innovation in Business and the Caribbean Staff of WKDU, who will be presented with The Sir Alexander Bustamante Award for Communication in Music and Culture.
The event is also a fundraising activity for Team Jamaica Bickle, Philadelphia as it gets ready to host Jamaican athletes, as well as athletes from other Caribbean countries during the 2013 running of the Penn Relays.
The Independence Dinner is supported by a number of organizations including the Jamaica Diaspora North Board, the Caribbean Festival & Cultural Organization of PA, the St. Vincent and The Grenadines Organization and the Barbados Society of Pennsylvania among others.
For more information contact Chris Chaplin at Christopher.chaplin4@gmail.com.
