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WESTERN BUREAU: Monday’s Heroes’ Day celebration was an emotional milestone for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany as they received a special citation and the Key to the City of Montego Bay, St James, during the parish’s 2025 Heroes Day Civic Awards Ceremony in the western city’s Sam Sharpe Square. The presentation of the two items was a major scheduled activity in the year-long centennial celebration of Mt Alvernia High School, Mt Alvernia Preparatory School, and Chetwood Memorial Primary School in St James, all of which were founded by the Franciscan Sisters in 1925. Sister Odette Haddad, one of the Franciscan Sisters representatives who were present for the special award, was overwhelmed with joy as she thanked the residents of Montego Bay for recognising the New York-based religious group’s work in St James. “I am overwhelmed, really overwhelmed, because I knew we were going to get the key to the city, but the citation which was presented for us just blew me away, how the people of Montego Bay are just so grateful for all that we have done. We are totally overwhelmed and deeply grateful,” Haddad told The Gleaner. “I only wish that the Franciscan Sisters who were here at the very beginning could be here to enjoy this, to appreciate and to see how grateful this city is and continues to be. We have been invited to every centennial activity that the residents have had throughout the year, and we have been faithful in coming out because we are just so grateful that they continue to remember us and express gratitude,” Haddad continued. Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon, who presented the Franciscan Sisters with the citation and the Key to the City, thanked them for their outreach work over their decades of activity in St James and the wider Jamaica, while also commending Monday’s awardees for their contributions of service to the parish. “Today we honour service, and we say congratulations to our local heroes for outstanding dedication in public and private spheres. We give commendations also to the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, who will receive the Key to the City for decades of compassionate service to our schools, clinics and communities,” said Vernon. “Thank you for embodying purpose and commitment, and let us walk old paths with new purpose and honour our proud and bold heritage with ceremony and with advancement.” In addition to the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany getting their citation and the Key to the City of Montego Bay, 17 awardees from across various fields were honoured during Monday’s programme, which was held under this year’s theme ‘Celebrating a proud and bold heritage’. Of the 17 awardees, nine were presented with the 2025 Sam Sharpe Award, while the remaining eight were presented with the Mayor’s Special Award. christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com St James’ Sam Sharpe Awardees for 2025 and St James’ recipients of the Mayor’s Special Award included: . Carl Herman Hayle, retired sanitation manager at the Rose Hall Intercontinental Hotel and other resorts – Tourism . Sergeant Sean Allen, of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s Traffic Management Department in St James – National Security . Marcia Valentine, retired principal of the Wee Care Early Childhood Institution – Education . Gedeon Jeudy, music teacher at Anchovy High School – Arts and Culture . Evelyn Jackson-Laidley, retired nurse – Health . Hyacinth Carey, public cleansing inspector at the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Western Parks and Markets – Community Service . Anthony Coley, of the NSWMA Western Parks and Market’s Parks and Gardens Team – Community Service . Sergeant Kendrick Leslie of the Jamaica Fire Brigade – Community Service . Lance Corporal Mikhail Smith, of the Jamaica Fire Brigade – Community Service . Sheron Andrea Barnes, retired judge – Justice . Dr Winsome Oban, the principal of Team Work School and executive director of Team Work Trust – Education . Robert Russell Jr, businessman and past president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association – Tourism . Ian Dear, chairman of Goodwill Gaming Enterprises Limited – Industry and Commerce . Merith Sharpe, shelter manager at the Farm Heights and Rose Heights Community Centre – Community Service . Hugh Shim, founder of the Drums for Peace Marching Band and the Heights Marching Band – Arts and Culture . Kerry Miller, personal assistant to Sandals Resorts International’s executive chairman Adam Stewart – Tourism . Ann-Marie Goffe Pryce, general manager of S Hotel – Tourism
