A gala for Great Esteem
The Woman of Great Esteem Organization is wrapping up March — Women’s History Month — on Saturday at its 16th annual awards dinner and gala with special recognition for several outstanding individuals. Chosen to be honored at the affair are: gynecologist/obstetrician Karlene Chin Quee; Geneive Brown-metzger, former consul general for Jamaica in New York; Long Island-based attorney Shari Lee Sugarman and Alix Boyd Knight, Dominica’s current House of Assembly speaker.
Bermuda’s Premier, Paula Cox, is taking on a dual role at the event — guest speaker and recipient of the group’s 2012 Award of Excellence.
The galas will be held at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Palm House, 1000 Washington Ave. (at Crown St.), in Crown Heights, starting at 7 p.m.
Broadcaster/journalist/community leader Sharon Gordon will host the affair, being held under theme “An Emerald Night in Brooklyn.”
The red-carpet event starts with a reception. Dinner and the award ceremony begins at 8 p.m. Music, for listening and dancing, will be provided by The Vision Band.
The Rev. Sylveta Hamilton-gonzales established the Woman of Great Esteem Emerald Award as a division of Qkingdom Ministries in 1995.
For tickets and information, send email to qkmacademy@aol.com or call (718) 221-5566.
Tourney for peace
In the name of peace, teams representing Orthodox Jewish players from Mendy’s Deli in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and the Central Brooklyn Soccer league will square off in the second annual Soccer for Harmony tournament today.
The Jewish team will be defending its title against the Caribbean squad in the match at Hamilton Metz Field, at Albany and Lefferts Aves., starting at 2 p.m.
The tournament honors Christopher Rose, a 15 year old who was killed over an ipod in 2005, and supports soccer programs for underprivileged youth.
The event is being organized by The Seeds in the Middle organization and Errol Rose, Christopher’s father, as well as coach Josef Cabral of the Crown Heights Soccer Eagles youth soccer league.
The tourney is supported by the NYPD’S 71st Precinct, the 71st Precinct Community Council and the Crown Heights Mediation Center.
For information, call Seeds in the Middle at (917) 697-3745 or Errol Rose at (917) 559-6915. And for details on Seeds in the Middle’s public school programs, such as edible gardens, healthy eating and the Crown Heights Farmers Market, go online and visit www.seedsinthemiddle.org.
Center’s goal is diversity
The Orion Adult Care Center grand open house event last Thursday in Brooklyn included the unveiling of a diversity initiative that begins with outreach to the city’s Haitian community.
Marilhou (Malou) Aubry, a program director at the facility, 2555 Mcdonald Ave. (between Aves. X and Y) in the Gravesend section, said effort would include activities, such as concerts and movies, and social work sessions all with Haitian culture in mind.
Diversity is a goal of the center, explained Aubry, a former division manager of the Queens-based Haitian-americans United for Progress organization.
“They want a center that’s representative of the ethnic groups in Brooklyn and we’re accepting seniors of all ethnic groups,” Holly said of the Orion center, cit- ing the open house as an example. “It was wonderful, we had food and entertainment from — Slovakian to Haitian.”
For information on the Orion Adult Care Center, call (718) 513-1818.
Praying for speed
Join in prayers for the Team Jamaica Bickle hospitality initiative and Caribbean track and field athletes from Jamaica and other nations at a special service offered by the Rev. Patrick Perrin and the congregation of St. John’s United Methodist Church, 2105 Stuart Ave., in Valley Stream, L.I., starting today at 10:30 a.m.
Team Jamaica Bickle helps male and female scholastic athletes participating in the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Relays track meet find accommodations, get counseling and eat meals of familiar Caribbean foods while at the event.
A repast will be held in the church’s Albungay Hall, downstairs, after the service. To RSVP, call Andrea Daley (718) 235-0604. For information on any of the TJB activities, call (800) 624-7478 or visit teamjamaicabickle.com.
Penn Relays finals will be held on April 26 and 27 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia. For Penn Relays tickets and information, visit thepennrelays.com.