In its continuing efforts to raise much-needed funds to assist Vincentian athletes participating in the illustrious Penn Relays Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the Brooklyn-based Vincentian group Club St. Vincent, Inc., on Saturday held its 10th Annual Walkathon at Marine Park in Brooklyn.  

“Despite the rainy and chilly morning, about 40 of our supporters braved the weather and came out to support us,” Ancilla Friday, vice president of Club St. Vincent, Inc. and walkathon coordinator, told Caribbean Life afterward.  

“Over the years, our supporters show up with much zest and vigor for this worthy cause, with a mutual echo that permeates the air: ‘I am doing it for the children,’” added Friday, who initially welcomed everyone and offered the opening prayer, “asking God to sustain us throughout the five-mile walk around the park and beyond.” 

In the pre-walk ceremony, Sandra Millington, president of Club St. Vincent, Inc., said her organization has “proudly followed the progress of these children,” stating that “they have done well and soared to higher heights.” 

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States, Rondy McIntosh, urged the community to continue supporting the Vincentian athletes.

“We’re not just walking, but we’re going to Pennsylvania to support the athletes,” he said. “We look forward to being there to support our kids.”

Crispin Friday, Mrs. Friday’s husband and president of the Brooklyn-based Vincentian umbrella group, Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, U.S.A., Inc. (COSAGO), urged nationals to accompany them on the trip to the Penn Relays on April 26-27 and to “wave our Vincy flag, and shout and cheer the athletes on to victory.”

“As usual, we had warm-up exercises before the walk,” Mrs. Friday said. “This year, we are blessed to have as our sponsors – SwiftPac Shipping Company, represented by Ms. Destra Adams, and, for the second time, Paradise Investment Associates, represented by Mr. Crispin Friday. 

“These sponsors have invested in us and make it possible for us to expand our reach for our athletes,” she added.

Mrs. Friday thanked the staff and members of the Marine Park Older Adult Center, under the leadership of Program Director Jonathan Turovets, for “making it possible for us to use the space at the  Marine Park Center.

“They also participated in our walk and our picture-taking, which was a clear representation of our blended Brooklyn community,” she said.

“I was really overjoyed at the energy and the sense of ‘Vincy Pride’ coming together for a worthy cause,” Mrs. Friday added. “I truly believe that ‘no one is an island’; we need the support of each other, and our young people need us.”

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is expected to be represented this year at the Penn Relays by athletes from three secondary (high) schools: the Thomas Saunders Secondary School (TSSS), the Boys Grammar School (BGS), and the prospective new team, the Emmanuel High School Marriaqua (EHSM).

James Cordice, the Philadelphia-based coordinator of the Vincentian Penn Relays initiative and president of Team SVG International, told Caribbean Life on Tuesday that he looks forward to welcoming TSSS and BGS again and is “excited to welcome EHSM.”

Cordice is also the coordinator of the Belize Penny Relays initiative.

Belize will be represented for the fifth successive year at the Penn Relays by Stan Creek Ecumenical College (high school).