The Guyana Tri-State Alliance, in collaboration with The Consulate General of the Republic of Guyana in New York and the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations, celebrated Guyana’s 45th Independence anniversary on Wednesday, June 22 with a special evening and appreciation ceremony. Dbbed “A Taste of Guyana”, the event was held at the Brooklyn Borough Hall in Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, New York.
Among the distinguished recipients of the special honour were community philanthropist Rick Chetram (humanitarian Vibert Bernard); actress and advocate for preservation of Guyanese culture, Rose October-Edun; Patrick and Paul Haynes, of the Haynes Foundation in Guyana; Ms Taruna Sardoo (advocate for educating women and children in Guyana); Pandit Suresh Sugrim (President of the New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir Humanitarian Mission, champion for the poor, and becoming the voice for the voiceless and hope for the hopeless and the less fortunate of Guyana) ; Dr. John Mitchell of Health and Education Relief for Guyana (HERG), who is also an advocate for family health and prevention of infant mortality; Ngozi Moses, (photojournalist of The Washington Post); Nikki Kahn and Mohamed A Hassim, who have been noted as key figures in keeping the diaspora connected.
Pandit Sugrim was bestowed the Golden Arrowhead Award of Distinction, Service and Humanitarian; and he also received a Proclamation from the City of New York. He was born in Corriverton, Guyana and migrated to the USA in 1980. He settled in Bloomfield, New Jersey and founded the New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir Inc in 1986, which gave birth to the Humanitarian Mission in 2005.
During his acceptance speech, Pandit Sugrim applauded the diaspora’s generosity in reaching out and giving freely through various charity events and contribution channels. He reiterated that without the community’s earnest participation and spirit of giving, the mission’s initiatives would not be achieved. “This recognition is for the community and all our kind-hearted donors who have truly helped us made a difference in Guyana. I am just the facilitator,” he said.
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