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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
Nassau, The Bahamas – The Zonta Club of Nassau honored seven females for their outstanding contributions to community during the Club’s Centennial Awards Ceremony, Sunday (March 8). Seventeen-year-old Miss Sierra Ferguson, a 12th-Grade student at Aquinas College was among the honorees. The Awards Ceremony was held on International Women’s Day under the theme: “Honoring and Empowering Women in Our Community.” Included among the honorees were: Mrs. Judy Munroe, O.B.E. (Charter President, Zonta Club of Nassau) and Mrs. Vylma Thompson-Curling, O.B.E. (Charter Vice-President, Zonta Club of Nassau) who were enshrined as Lifetime Members. Five other persons received Centennial Champion Awards and they included: Senate President, Senator, the Hon. Dr. Mildred Hall-Watson (PACE Foundation); Ms. Sharmaine Goodman-Davis (The Crisis Centre); Miss Sierra Ferguson, a 12-Grade student at Aquinas College and a member of the school’s Z Club; Ms. Tracey Rahming (The AIDS Foundation) and Mrs. E’Thegra Symonette, University of The Bahamas’ Golden Z Club.
The Club also showcased its United Nations Essay Competition winners. Miss P’Ante Rolle, Queen’s College, was the overall winner, followed by Miss Sierra Ferguson (Aquinas College) and Miss Brigette Cumberbatch, Queen’s College. Minister of Social Services and Urban Development, the Hon. Frankie A. Campbell, took the opportunity to once again applaud the club for its role in the socio-economic development of the country. (The club was chartered on October 12, 1982 with 26 members and Mrs. Munroe as Charter President and Mrs. Thompson-Curling as Charter Vice-President.) “I cherish every organization and every individual who offers any type of partnership that can assist in us reaching out to those who are marginalized; reaching out to those who are most vulnerable amongst us to ensure that everyone has a fair and equal opportunity for some form of success,” Minister Campbell said. “As you pay more and more attention to what Zonta is doing and achieving in the local community, and what the organization is about and what it is involved in, you must have a special sense of admiration and a special sense of gratitude for the entire Zonta Movement and its philosophy and I want to publicly express my gratitude and that of our Ministry, to those who are involved here in The Bahamas. “Zonta has single-handedly, in the time I have been the Minister, stood out in terms of its work and efforts towards the eradication and the elimination of all forms of violence and as a father of three daughters and a son, and the Minister responsible for women and girls and men and boys, that means a lot to me.” Minister Campbell extended his congratulations to the honorees and the Essay Competition winners and applauded the organizers of the Awards Ceremony for having the foresight to hold simultaneous presentations. “I congratulate all who are being awarded. It is important that these two generations meet (as) there is the need for a bridging of the generations to ensure that our young ladies and boys understand and appreciate that it wasn’t always as good as it is now; that the roads weren’t always as straight or as smooth as they are now. “It is important that our young persons understand that this generational race is not an individual race, but rather a relay, a team race, and that now that some of our older, more experienced persons have ran your race, you are now prepared not only to pass on the baton, but to stand on the sidelines and cheer them on. It is only then, will we truly, collectively, all come together to contribute to a better Bahamas, a more improved Bahamas, and a Bahamas that we can continue to be proud of as we go around the world as ambassadors holding our flag,” Minister Campbell added. Zonta Club of Nassau President, Ms. Latoya Johnson, also congratulated the honorees for their contributions to Bahamian society. She said the local Club is proud to support the work of Zonta International through efforts carried out in the various communities. “We are even more pleased to highlight pioneering women in our organization as Lifetime Members as we continue to walk in the paths they have made and look forward to another one hundred years of service and advocacy.” Ms. Johnson said Zonta has a primary mission to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy and that, through “continuous engagement over the past ten decades,” Zonta International has become a respected and reliable agent of civil society. “It is truly a privilege to honour and empower strong women who are making a difference in people’s lives. The Zonta Club has a primary mission to empower women worldwide through service and advocacy. Our vision is a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights and (a world where) every woman is able to achieve her full potential. “In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence,” Ms. Johnson added.
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