The Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester Chapter of the Caribbean American Nurses Association (CANA), Inc. on Saturday hosted its 26th Annual Vernese Weeks Scholarship Luncheon at Eastwood Manor on Eastchester Road, Bronx.
During the gala ceremony, the group awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Mariel Walcott, whose father was born in Trinidad and Tobago.
He also presented Community Service Awards to Jamaican-born schoolteacher Donna Anglin and Congressman Jamal Bowman, and the CANA Award to Jamaican-born retired registered nurse Elaine Mills-Ford.
“It is with a deep sense of pride and commitment that we welcome all our distinguished guests who have supported us so diligently over the years. Welcome back to our 26th Annual Vernese Weeks Scholarship Luncheon,” said Dr. Virginia Bernard, RN, the Jamaican-born president of CANA’s Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester Chapter.
“We missed you. It has been a turbulent two and a half years since we all felt the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added. “This year marks the 26th Annual Vernise Weeks Scholarship Luncheon, and the organization has awarded 56 scholarships since its inception to students attending college.
“Of course, this wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for your continued and generous support,” continued Dr. Bernard. “Thank you for helping us keep this organization strong and relevant. Our objectives are to increase involvement in the education of our students, develop community health programs, recruit new members and increase the participation of current members. Congratulations to the scholarship recipients and honorees.”
Walcott thanked “God for allowing me to be here today” and CANA committee members for the scholarship award.
“My father was born in Trinidad and came to the US in his late 20s. My maternal grandparents were also born and raised in Trinidad. Although I was born in New York City, I consider myself a ‘Trini’ forever,” she said at the ceremony.
Walcott said her inspiration for nursing began “while spending many days with my mother in the pediatric emergency room at Bellevue Hospital, where she worked as a physician assistant for many years.
“I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without him,” she said. “Getting accepted into nursing school was a dream I wasn’t sure I would achieve,” she said. “Although the journey is challenging, I know I’m going in the right direction. Thank you.”
Walcott received an associate’s degree from Nassau Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Keuka College, with honors in American Sign Language Interpreting.
After earning her bachelor’s degree and working her first freelance job interpreting for deaf individuals at medical appointments, Walcott said she knew nursing was something she still wanted.
Anglin was born in St.
She received her BA from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and her MA/MS from the City College of New York.
Anglin currently teaches at Belmont Preparatory High School, District 10, Bronx.
She expressed gratitude to CANA’s BMW chapter for the recognition.
“To my family that is here today, you are the wind beneath my wings,” she said.
Mills-Ford, who devoted more than 40 years of service to the nursing profession in both Jamaica and the United States of America, was born in St. Mary’s Parish, Jamaica.
She studied at the Kingston School of Nursing in Jamaica and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of New Rochelle.
Mills-Ford worked at Linstead General Hospital and Spanish City General Hospital in Jamaica before migrating to the US, where she worked at Mount Vernon and Bronx Lebanon Hospitals.
She said she worked for 25 years in emergency nursing until her retirement.
A member of the Bronx Manhattan Westchester Chapter of the American Caribbean Nurses Association, Mills-Ford currently serves as registration secretary.
Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D., represents New York’s 16th District, which includes the North Bronx and parts of Westchester County, including Yonkers, New Rochelle and Mount Vernon.
Bowman was born and raised in New York City, spending his early years in public housing and rent-controlled apartments.
He was raised by his mother, who supported him on the salary of a postal worker.
After graduating from the University of New Haven, Rep. Bowman began his career as a crisis intervention teacher in a public school in the Bronx and went on to earn a master’s degree in guidance counseling from Mercy College and a doctorate in education from Manhattanville College.
In 2009, Bowman founded Cornerstone Academy for Social Action (CASA), a high school in the Bronx focused on unlocking the natural brilliance of all children through a holistic curriculum, where he served as principal for a decade.
At CASA, Bowman worked to center student voice, cultural awareness and love.
He said he has worked to ensure advanced involvement of students in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.
Bowman has also been an outspoken advocate for rethinking education, including ending annual state-sanctioned standardized testing.
Bowman was elected to Congress in 2020, running on a platform of progressive, transformative policies that will improve the lives of those who have been excluded from the American Dream.
Congressman Bowman said he is “committed to enacting visionary policy that aligns climate justice with economic and racial justice, and to emphasizing the importance of research and investment in communities of color.”
Bowman lives in Yonkers, New York, with his wife and children.
Vernese Weeks, RN, after whom the scholarship award is named, was born in Barbados. She left this life in 1994.
“In memory of her outstanding dedication and service to humanity, this memorial scholarship was established in 1995 by members of the Bronx, Manhattan, Westchester Chapter of CANA, Inc.,” organizers said.
They said Weeks was an active member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx.
Funding for this scholarship is from the annual fundraising luncheon and is awarded to eligible undergraduate nursing students.
The ceremony also featured, among others, a keynote address by retired Public Health Nurse District Manager, Antiguan-born Ingrid Baptiste, and a fashion show, “Glamour and Culture,” presented by Baptiste’s daughter, Malanie Okpaku, a lawyer.
The models consisted of registered nurses Claudette Shakes, Pamela Griffin, Alex Sampson, Marlene Robinson, Ingrid Baptiste, Cora Kobel, Malvin Groce and Lorna Ferreira.
