Dear Source:
On May 25, 2008, Mothers Against Guns, Inc. and Jason Carroll Memorial Fund, Inc. held the Fifth Annual Walk/Run Against Gun Violence in the Virgin Islands. Because of the participation of the community, we were able to take a stand against gun violence and to help one of the young people in our community to further his education.
I would like to congratulate Kirwan Hodge for receiving the 2008 Jason Carroll Memorial Fund full tuition scholarship to the University of the Virgin Islands. Kirwan, a graduate of St. Peters and Paul Catholic School, demonstrated his commitment to solving the problem of violence in our community by writing the best 500-word essay on that subject.
I would also like to thank our sponsors for this year's Walk/Run, Elizabeth Jane's the Silver Source in Red Hook and St. Thomas Radiology Associates. Also, we would like to thank those donors who made substantial contributions, including People Moving Forward Foundation, Attorney Joel Holt, Attorney Marjorie Rawls Roberts, the Law Offices of Dudley, Topper and Feuerzeig, as well as Henry Feuerzeig for a separate donation, the Law Offices of Dudley, Clarke and Chan, Judge George D. Carroll, Carroll-Presha Enterprises and Yvonne Presha, individually. Because of your assistance, we were able to have a successful event this year and raise money for the scholarship and for the continued assistance through partial scholarships to our past full-tuition scholarship recipients, Anyssa Richardson, Andrea Dorsey and Jamilyah Christopher.
A big thank you goes out to Governor John DeJongh for proclaiming May 25, 2008 as a day dedicated to the memory of victims of violence. This year, the Governor with the assistance of First Lady Cecile DeJongh, and the wife of the Lt. Governor, Cheryl Francis, issued the proclamation.
We are grateful for the assistance of Bellows International, West Indies Company, Coca Cola Bottling Co., Cost U Less, St. Thomas Dairies, Merchant Market and Hunter Foods for supplying the runners with water and other refreshments. We also thank the Virgin Islands Rescue Squad and the Civil Air Patrol for the great assistance that they gave us on the day of the Walk/Run in making sure that everything went well. As usual, Commissioner James McCall, Chief of Police Rodney Querrard, and the Officers of the Virgin Islands Police Department assured that we would have a safe event.
A special thank you goes to Therese Hodge and the St. Thomas Association of Road Runners and the volunteers that came out in force to help us on the day of the Walk/Run. We could not have held the event without their expert assistance. STAR has helped us from the beginning, and they have been with us every step of the way.
We also want to thank the members of Mothers Against Guns who helped to make the Walk/Run a reality, and those in the community who have prayed and helped us persevere. Dr. Ida White, Attorney Archie Jennings, Professor Roy Watlington, Magistrate Geoffrey Barnard, Leonard Fleming, and other individuals all assisted us. Jameson Miles, Janeen Lofton, LaToyah Lettsome and Renee Benjamin and Jamilyah Christopher and others also assisted in fund-raising efforts. Jamilyah and Jameson created the Public Service announcement that ran on the radio that helped publicize the event.
The event was enhanced by those individuals who delivered anti-violence messages and performances before the awards presentation. Those individuals include the wife of the Lt. Governor, Cheryl Francis, Chief of Police Rodney Querrard, Faith Christian Fellowship's God's Chosen Vessel who performed "I Speak Life" by Donald Lauren and the Lockhart School Mime Group who performed "Stand."
Again, the event was what it was because of the runners and the many walkers who demonstrated by walking and running against violence. We wish to congratulate the trophy winners in our 8 different age categories for male and females and our overall winners Jerome Bute, the top male runner, and Jessica Chung, the top female runner. We also congratulate Charlotte Amalie High School JROTC for being the school organization with the most participants, and the Junior Firefighters as the community organization with the most participants. Also, congratulations to the most junior and senior participants, Monet Letang and Evelyn Simon.
Finally, our prayers are with the parents and families of those who have lost loved ones through violence. We encourage you to persevere knowing that God is on the throne and vengeance belongs to Him alone. With the grace of God, together as a community, we can win the war against gun violence.
Celia A. Carroll, President
Jason Carroll Memorial Fund, Inc./
Mothers Against Guns Inc.
St. Thomas
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