Vincies participate in Walk-a-Thon to aid Penn Relays initiative

Several Vincentians on Saturday braved the chilly and blustery weather in participating in the annual Walk-a-Thon at Marine Park in Brooklyn in raising much-needed funds for Vincentian athletes participating in the prestigious Penn Relays at the Franklin Field Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Before the pre-walk warm-up, Sandra Millington, president of the Brooklyn-based organizing group Club St. Vincent, Inc., said that the relays are “not just a run” for the Vincentian athletes.

“It gives them the opportunity to display their God-given talent,” she said. “Thank you for coming out; it serves a very useful purpose.

“The students (who participated in previous Penn Relays) are doing well,” Millington added. “I have no qualms coming every year to support them (athletes); and we must tell other people to support them.”

She said the funds raised at the Walk-a-thon will aid in providing housing for the athletes, who will travel to the US to compete in the Penn Relay games during the last week in April.

Millington said over 15 students, a co-ed team from Thomas Saunders Secondary School and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Boys Grammar School, are expected to represent St. Vincent and the Grenadines at the Penn Relays.

She said that hosting the Walk-a-thon over the years has been “an absolute joy” for the members of Club St. Vincent, Inc.

Crispin Friday – president of the Brooklyn-based Council of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Organizations, U.S.A., Inc. (COSAGO), the umbrella Vincentian group in the US, of which Club St. Vincent, Inc. is a member – told Caribbean Life afterwards that track and field coaches, while coaching their teams at the Penn Relays, “take time to observe other high school juniors.”

“One of the goals of the meet is to re-establish a lot of contacts and make new contacts,” he said. “Coaches from the various universities and colleges across the United States go to Penn Relays with different recruiting goals.

“Athletes from the Thomas Saunders School and from the Boys Grammar School are expected to come and compete from 25th to 27th of April, and, hence, be exposed to the opportunity of being recruited to one of the United States colleges and enhancing their academic status,” he added.

“I applaud the executive of Club St. Vincent, Inc. for supporting Team SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) annually at Penn Relays and all the participants for their sponsors,” Friday continued.

Laverne McDowald-Thompson addresses pre-Walk-a-Thon gathering.Photo by Nelson A. King

Laverne McDowald-Thompson, a former COSAGO president, now serving as vice president, also told Caribbean Life that she looks forward every year “to help raising funds by taking part in the Walk-A-Thon.”

“I commend Club St. Vincent for their continuous efforts in this drive,” she said. “It is the beginning of the excitement and joy to know that athletes from our homeland will be traveling to the USA to participate in such a level of competition in track and field.

“We are happy that we can offer some support by coming out on a very cold windy morning to walk,” McDowald-Thompson added. “It shows our commitment to the cause.”

She said COSAGO also continues to support by organizing “an overnight trip to witness and cheer on the athletes as they compete.”

“It is also about celebrating their participation, and to encourage and motivate them to do their best in sports, as it can be a stepping stone to their future endeavors,” McDowald-Thompson said. “Sports can certainly transport lives.

“We are proud of past athletes who have gained scholarships to various colleges here in the USA and elsewhere, and have successfully completed their studies,” she added.

Earlier, she commended pre-Walk-a-Thon participants of supporting the initiative.

Warming up before participating in the Walk-a-Thon. Photo by Nelson A. King

“We have St. Vincent and the Grenadines in our hearts,” Mc-Dowald-Thompson said. “We come out to support, regardless to how hard it is. I’m so grateful to be part of this journey.”

She also urged the general public to support Vincentian athletes at the prestigious games.

“You should come out to support,” McDowald-Thompson said. “The help is really needed.”

Her sentiments were echoed by Consul General to the United States Rondy “Luta” McIntosh.

“Let us support our athletes,” he also urged. “Let’s go there and support them.”

Millington said that, over the past 10 years, over 100 athletes from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, primarily students from the Thomas Saunders Secondary School, have competed in the Penn Relays.

She said, and Friday confirmed, that a bus-load of enthusiasts will leave Brooklyn in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 27, to render boisterous support for Vincentian athletes at the relays carnival.

Ancilla Friday, Walk-a-Thon coordinator, further urged the community to support the worthy cause.

“We encourage you to support the athletes,” she said.