A top-flight lineup of celebrities - including Jamaica sprinter Veronica Campbell-Brown, award-winning actor Danny Glover, Bermuda Premier Ewart Brown and Queens Borough President Helen Marshall - will be honored Thursday, January 29 at the fund-raising gala of the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies. Macy’s will also be receiving an award at the event, which will be held at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, starting at 6:30 p.m.
The annual benefit helps raise grant money and scholarships for needy students at the University of the West Indies. There will also be a silent auction. The event is being held with support from actor-singer-activist Harry Belafonte.
Campbell-Brown, a five-time Olympic medalist who won back-to-back golds in the women’s 200-meter dash at last summer’s Beijing Olympics and the 2004 Athens Games - will be presented with a special award recognizing the achievements of Caribbean Olympians.
Popular TV news anchors Brenda Blackmon of My9 TV (WWOR-TV), Soledad O’Brien of CNN and Maurice Dubois of WCBS-TV are scheduled to host the benefit.
For tickets and information, call 212-759-9345. Donations to the university can be made online by visiting www.afuwi.org.
Art goes with honors
A reception and art exhibition commemorating Haitian Independence Day will be held in Manhattan Thursday, January 29 presented by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and the Haitian American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization.
The affair - held at Manhattan Borough President’s Office from 6 to 8 p.m. - will also include the presentation of special recognition awards to three outstanding individuals.
Recipients are Patricia Beauvais, regional producer at CBS News Path satellite news gathering service; Raudline Etienne, chief investment officer of the New York State Common Retirement Fund, and Jacques Jiha, executive VP and CFO of Earl G. Graves Ltd., which publishes Black Enterprise magazine.
Lauture Alexis, Lucien Bourdeau, Carlot Chardonette, Pepe Constant Frantz Petion and Carl Thelemaque are the artists taking part in the exhibition.
The Manhattan borough president’s office is at 1 Centre Street, 19th floor south. Photo ID is required to enter the building. To R.S.V.P. for the affair, send e-mail to rthomas@manhattanbp.org or call 212-669-2094 by Wednesday.
The Caribbean is for lovers
Arguably, the most romantic part of the world for lovers is the warm, seductive Caribbean. And that’s why Valentine’s Day is a great time to travel to the region.
This year, the Montpelier Plantation on Nevis and a number of hotels and restaurants on “the nature island” of Dominica are boasting special deals.
“Upscale simplicity” is how the Montpelier Plantation’s five-night “Passion and Love” package is described. Priced at $2,803 for two, the package features a couples massage, complimentary champagne on arrival, three dinners, an English breakfast and daily afternoon tea, fresh fruit in the room and more. There is also complimentary Internet service, snorkeling and tennis, and access to a book collection and a DVD library. The “Passion and Love” package is available through April 14.
For information call 869-469-3462, send e-mail to info@montpeliernevis.com or visit www.montpeliernevis.com.
Dominica is also offering holiday treats for Valentine’s Day, in addition to the island’s natural gifts - unspoiled rainforests, scenic waterfalls and other attractions.
Among the participating establishments are the Jungle Bay Resort & Spa (www.junglebaydominica.com) with its rustic luxury cottages that rest on stilts, and seven-night Romantic Escapes package from the Calibishie Cove (www.calibishiecove.com).
The specially priced candlelight dinner at Calibishie Lodges (www.calibishie-lodges.com), the sought-after “elite” dinner menu at the Fort Young Hotel (www.fortyounghotel.com) and the wine and cheese for two, dessert and Spanish champagne at the Comfortel De Champ (www.godominica.com) are some of the dining options.
Contact the Dominica Tourism Authority at 866-522-4057 and visit www.discoverdominica.com for information on the island.
Talking about Jamaica
There will be an information-filled meet-and-greet session, featuring Bishop Cecil Riley of Brooklyn’s Freedom Hall Church of God, February 6 at the church, 629 Albany Avenue (between Fenimore and Winthrop Streets) beginning at 7 p.m.
There will be discussion of consulate activities, the Caribbean diaspora, the increased use of the new Caricom passport and other topics. The session will be cosponsored by Riley, the Jamaica Consulate in New York, the Jamaica Diaspora NE and the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations. R.S.V.P. by calling 212-935-9000, Ext. 20 or 21.
This column is reprinted from the January 11 Sunday editions of The New York Daily News. If you have items suitable for this column please e-mail them to jmccallister@nydailynews.com.
