Members of the St Anthony Lodge No. 4686EC in Montserrat on Thursday, handed over a cheque for XCD$4000 to support an annual initiative of the Department of Social Services.
Under the District Grand Lodge of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, St Anthony Lodge is a fraternal organization and registered Friendly Society and Non-Profit Organization on Montserrat. The department’s “Back to School Children Assistance Programme” is one of the charitable causes to which the lodge specifically raised funds on an annual basis.
The presentation was done by the Lodge’s Charity Steward and Past Master Kendall W. Lee to Minister for Education Health and Social Services Charles Kirnon and Teresena Fergus the Director of Social Services at their offices in the Social Security building at Little Bay.
Mr. Lee stated “that due to the Covid Pandemic the Lodge was not able to put on any major fund-raising activity. The Lodge and its membership were determined
to honor its commitment, so the majority of the funds we are presenting today came directly from the members’ personal contributions for which we are all proud to do, as we take this annual commitment seriously.”
Minister Kirnon expressed that it was an honour to be present for the activity that he personally hears about every year and thanked the members of the lodge for their continued support. He also said he hoped that other local and overseas community organisations, if they were not already doing so, would follow the lodge’s
example and do similar things to help our community, especially in these challenging times.
Director of Social Service Mrs. Fergus said she has observed that the contribution from the lodge is getting bigger each time and asked the members present to express her department’s appreciation to the other members for their generosity. The director also pointed out that the early presentation this year allows her department more time to carry out the necessary assessments to determine which children going back to school can benefit most from the contribution.
Also, in attendance during the presentation were the Treasurer of the Lodge Albrun Semper and Peter W A White the Lodge’s Almoner and Mentor.
