Feb. 19, 2007 — The St. Croix Friends of Denmark recently selected a young woman to serve as a cultural ambassador in a new student-exchange program undertaken with the Danish West Indian Society.
This summer, from July 23 to August 14, one student each from St. Croix and St. Thomas will spend three weeks in Denmark on a combination study and goodwill tour, hosted by members of the Danish West Indian Society. (See "Friends of Denmark Name UVI Senior 'Student Ambassador.'")
A graduating senior at the St. Croix Educational Complex, Whitney Smith, was a clear winner, according to a news release from the St. Croix Friends of Denmark (FOD). At a recent meeting, Smith "conveyed her outgoing personality and dedication to her chosen field of study, neonatal nursing education," the news release said.
Smith has a strong academic background, participates in community service, extra-curricular activities through the 4-H Club and seminars. She has expressed a desire to travel to Denmark, where she may also be able to explore her maternal ancestry of the Dahl family.
At its recent annual meeting, FOD members learned that their numbers had grown by 20. The members also heard a report on the upcoming Danish West Indian Festival, where hosts in St. Croix have been found for a group of 71 members of their Danish sister society, the Danish West Indian Society, participating in the bi-annual, week-long festival exchange taking place from March 17 through 24. The festival features tours of the island, receptions and dinners, beach- and countryside picnics, offering a cultural experience of the island.
The group then continues on to St. Thomas for a week with the St. Thomas Friends of Denmark, culminating in participation in the 90th Anniversary of Transfer festivities there, the news release said.
A "generous donation" by the Matt Miller Fund of the St. Croix Foundation will cover the cost for the St. Croix student, selected through "a rigorous screening process," the news release said.
The donor of the scholarship, attorney Stan Miller, had a son, Matt, who was killed in an auto accident. His organs and tissue were donated for transplant. FOD board member Claudette Robinson of the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center was present when the organ donation took place. The FOD named Miller an honorary member, and he expressed his enthusiasm about the selection of Smith as recipient of the scholarship.
Funding for the student exchange will become an annual event, Miller told the audience, according to the news release.
In cooperation with the St. Croix Landmarks Society, the St. Croix Friends of Denmark plans a celebration of Danish Cultural Heritage Day on Transfer Day, Saturday March 31, at the usual location: under the Saman tree at the Carl and Marie Lawaetz Family Museum at Little La Grange. As usual, this promises to be a festive event, of particular importance this year, which marks the 90th anniversary of the transfer, the news release said.
For information about the St. Croix Friends of Denmark, contact President Bill Bass at 778-8539 or Vice-President Ana Doward at 772-4018.
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