Haitian foundation honors Mayor Adams with Lifetime Achievement Award

The Long Island-based Farah Delance Foundation, named after Haitian Farah Delance, founder and president, on Friday honored Mayor Eric L. Adams with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Outstanding Filipino in America Award (TOFA) at the Town Hall in Manhattan.

“I chose to honor the mayor because the elected officials need to be honored for their hard work, too,” Delance, who lives in Suffolk County, told Caribbean Life on Saturday. “Everyone is waiting for a mayor, a governor, a president to honor them. So, what about them?

“They are humans; they need to be appreciated for their works, leaving their families behind to help us,” she added. “Eric, when he was a police officer, was serving the city, the country with his life. We don’t have enough money to pay them, but I wanted to be grateful to him for all that.

“He became borough president — again fighting for his people,” Delance continued. “And now, he’s the mayor, and he’s still fighting for the city.”

She said her foundation is promoting women’s empowerment, noting hat the mayor has, for the first time, appointed a woman as New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner.

“He’s empowering women, and that is one of the 17 SGDS (UN’s Sustainable Development Goals) 2030 Agenda that the foundation is promoting (#5 gender equality),” Delance said. “That is priceless.

“I wanted to honor him, because he brings New York together by always being there for any one, the Haitian community, Asian American; he supports all of them against hate crimes,” she added. “I’m grateful for that. It was my way to thank him and support and encouraging him to do more for the society.”

Delance also thanked her friends from the Filipino community, especially TOFA’s Chief Executive Officer Elton Lugay “for this phenomenal event that bought all of us together.

“This was incredible event where Rasmin was performing, and a lot of fashion designers/celebrities went there,” she said. “It was for me again an achievement to be a part of this historic event where, for the first time, a NYC Mayor participating in a Filipino event; first time ever a mayor has received Lifetime Achievement Award; and first time ever a Black female Haitian honors a Black Mayor in NYC at a Filipino event.

“I want to thank, Yves Hubert Barreau (FDF) Photographer, Smith Georges, Anderson Louis, Roodly Linot (my husband) for the dress; it was stunning,” Delance added.

She was also grateful to her kids “who are inspiring me all the time; my Special Advisor and Mentor Jean Emmanuel Maître (INHAC),” and Roland Joseph.