The Brooklyn Canarsie Lions Membership final Saturday celebrated its 67th Annual Breakfast Fundraiser on the Canarsie Ascent/Holy Household Faculty Auditorium on Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie, Brooklyn, attracting a wide-cross part of the neighborhood.
Moreover the luxurious breakfast that featured, amongst others, mouth-watering Caribbean dishes, patrons have been entertained by a reward dance by Isabelle Milees; harmonica and metal band-playing by Leonard Beek and Anthony Trebuse, respectively; and singing by Mariah Thomas.
Beek supplied the late Harry Belafonte’s “On My Means,” “Jamaica Farewell” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” amongst others.
Thomas, whose father hailed from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, rendered “1,000 Years” by Christiana Perri.
Native elected officers briefly addressed the ceremony, together with New York State Sen. Roxanne Persaud, a lion and the Guyanese-born consultant for the 19th Senate District in Brooklyn; Metropolis Council Member Farah N. Louis, the daughter of Haitian and Bahamian immigrants, who represents the 45th Council District in Brooklyn; and Council Member Chris Banks, the son of an immigrant mom from Trinidad and Tobago and a father from Houston, Tx, who represents the 42nd Council District in Brooklyn.
Dr. Sima Karetnaya, a Ukrainian-born, United Nations human rights ambassador, was the visitor speaker. She recommended the Lions for his or her neighborhood service, and urged them to “go to the completely different consulates.”
“I’ll wish to grow to be a lion,” Dr. Karetnaya revealed. “I don’t imagine within the separation of faith and ethnicity.
“There’s just one race – the human race,” she added in very temporary remarks. “The one factor from God is to like each other.”
Brooklyn Canarsie Lions Membership President Jean Joseph advised patrons that their presence “makes this really feel like paradise.”
“That is at all times a very good time to replicate on the previous 12 months and consider our efforts with a crucial eye, as we proceed on our journey of service to the neighborhood,” stated the licensed public accountant (CPA) by coaching.
“Regardless of the worldwide despair and gloom that permeates the air, the Brooklyn Canarsie Lions Membership is steadfast in our mission, and continues to widen our scope of affect, by infusing our neighborhood agenda with new and progressive occasions,” Joseph added.
She pointed to 2 new occasions this 12 months, the Faculty & Profession Honest and Black Historical past Excellence Awards, which she stated have been “extraordinarily effectively acquired by the neighborhood, clearly indicating that there’s a craving for such occasions.
“Due to this fact, it’s protected to challenge that we are going to be holding each occasions once more,” Joseph stated. “Within the case of the Faculty Honest, we plan to repeat this earlier than the tip of the 12 months and have fun Black Historical past Month with a good larger occasion in February subsequent 12 months.”
Within the space of one of many membership’s staple initiatives of meals distribution, she stated this was elevated to twice weekly, feeding over 150 folks.
Joseph stated membership membership has not solely been holding robust however has been “rising exponentially.”
On the membership’s final assembly, she stated eight new members have been inducted, taking the full of over 100 new members inducted in her first time period of workplace as president.
Along with “managed occasions,” Joseph stated Brooklyn Canarsie Lions proceed to accomplice with different neighborhood teams, in addition to with elected officers, “in ensuring that the products and providers wanted by the neighborhood attain the appropriate folks.”
Final month, she stated the membership efficiently partnered with elected officers.
In collaborating with Kings Plaza Mall, Joseph stated members volunteered on the mall’s Brooklyn Promenade Giveaway challenge, “which was additionally effectively acquired by college students and their households alike.”
Over the Christmas season, she stated the members distributed toys and held a “profitable Vacation Occasion for kids of Dominica, thus increasing our attain internationally.
“We’re happy that, on the occasion, one of many island’s elected officers was a part of the presenting delegation,” stated Joseph, who can also be Dominican-born.
Wanting forward, she stated the Brooklyn Canarsie Lions Membership is “on stream to as soon as once more maintain” the Memorial Day ceremony, and take part within the Nationwide Night time Out crime preventing program, the September 11 Remembrances and the back-to-school giveaways.
“There’s actually rather more that we completed throughout the 12 months, like bringing cultural consciousness in Brooklyn and streamlining the membership’s inner operations,” Joseph stated. “However we’d like your help with a view to proceed finishing up our noble efforts of service.
“There isn’t any restrict to what we are able to do whereas working collectively,” she added. “I specific my gratitude to you in your help of our 67th Breakfast Fundraiser, and our shared values of humanitarian work and neighborhood constructing.”
