Homeless and community members queue for warm Thanksgiving Dinner.
Photo by Nelson A. King
Caribbean Life, December 4-10, 2020 3
By Tangerine Clarke
Jamaica Minister of Tourism,
Edmund Bartlett, presented Director of
the Jamaica Tourist Board, Josef Forstmayr
with a special gift thanking him
for his 23 years of unbroken service as a
member of the board of directors during
a recent meeting of the JTB in Jamaica.
“On behalf of the officials from the
Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Tourist
Board and the entire tourism fraternity,
we owe you a debt of gratitude for
your unwavering dedication and support
of the industry,” Minister Bartlett
told Forstmayr, who also serves on the
Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce,
and is the chairman of the Montego Bay
Arts Council.
According to JTB, Forstmayr, a recipient
of the Order of Distinction in the
Rank of Officer from the government
of Jamaica for his contribution to the
island’s tourism industry, currently
serves as managing director of Round
Hill Hotel and Villas, a position he has
held since 1989.
Between 2001-2003, he was president
of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association
(JHTA) and is a past president of the
Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
(CHTA), where, during his tenure
he increased awareness of the CHTA’s
“Tourism is Key” advocacy campaign.
The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB),
which has highlighted the beauty of
the island since being lunched in 1955,
is Jamaica’s national tourism agency
based in the capital city of Kingston.
With offices also located in Montego
Bay, Miami, Toronto and London,
and representatives in Berlin, Barcelona,
Rome, Amsterdam and Mumbai,
the agency’s consistent stellar work has
driven the island nation to the top of
the world’s travel site Trip Advisor, that
ranked Jamaica as the #1 Caribbean
Destination and #14 Best Destination in
the World in 2019.
By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Borough President Eric
Adams has honored a Jamaican-born
assistant principal among several honorees
for conducting outreach and supporting
residents of the borough during
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rose Graham – an assistant principal
at PS 399 in Brooklyn, executive member
of the Council of Supervisors and
Administrators (CSA) and a member of
CSA’s Political Action Committee – was
honored recently during Adams’s second
“Brooklyn COVID Heroes” ceremony, outside
Brooklyn Borough Hall, recognizing
186 Brooklynites from all walks of life who
have gone “above and beyond” during the
pandemic.
“We have heard so many stories of those
distributing personal protective equipment
(PPE), food/meals, and resources to
their neighbors,” Adams said. “We have
seen videos of those providing impromptu
stoop concerts, calling seniors sheltering
at home, or just offering a listening ear.
“Your work to support your fellow
Brooklynites is greatly appreciated,” he
added, stating that he was “honored to
recognize you for the work that you have
undertaken.”
Graham, also District 17’s political liaison,
told Caribbean Life on Tuesday that
she was “truly humbled and honored to
being selected as a Brooklyn 2020 COVID-
19 Hero, along with Dr. Anthony Fauci
and other Brooklynites.
“It is truly an honorable accomplishment
for me,” she added. “I stand today
as a proud assistant principal of Community
School District 17, and a proud
Brooklynite,” she said. “I stepped out at
the height of a global pandemic without
fear or reservation on a mission to serve
my community. Being the servant leader
that I am, with a heart of compassion and
love for humanity, made the task more
like a labor of love.
By Nelson A. King
Hundreds of homeless and community
residents in the Bedford-Stuyvesant
section of Brooklyn were treated to
a warm Thanksgiving Dinner by Brooklyn
District Grand Lodge #1 of the Independent
United Order of Mechanics,
Friendly Society, Western Hemisphere,
Inc., (IUOM) that is headquartered on
Putnam Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Grenadian-born Daniel Roden, District
Grand Master-elect of the Brooklyn
District Grand Lodge #1, told Caribbean
Life, in an exclusive interview at
lodge headquarters, on Thanksgiving
Day, that he felt a sense of duty to carry
on the tradition of feeding the homeless
during the holiday season.
“This is what the order stands for —
taking care of benevolence and charity,
taking care of members who are ailing,”
said Roden, flanked by Jamaican Glenver
R. Jones, deputy grand master of
the order, and his compatriot, Hyacinth
Robinson-Goldson, community liaison
officer of the Order.
“Under this pandemic situation, we
have put a food care program together,”
added Roden, disclosing that members
of the Order prepared the meals that
comprised, among other things, macaroni
and cheese, turkey, curried goat,
ham, candid yam, and rice and peas.
“On the healthy side, we gave out
bananas, apples and bottled water,” he
continued. “We’re looking to feed about
300 people today. Annually, we feed up
to 500, with a steady flow of people.
“Under normal circumstances, we
also hand out clothing,” said Roden,
stating that the Thanksgiving event is
usually a “sit-down meal,” with clothing
distribution, “but, due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the meal is being served as
‘grab and go’ style.”
Roden complimented Galroi Mikriis,
district grand assistant secretary-elect
and his committee for “planning and
executing the event.”
He said items for the meals were “all
donated, with “members taking time
out to prepare the meals, with some
catering from local caterers.”
During the past months, Roden said,
the Order distributed food to the sick
and shut-ins, some of which was personally
delivered by members.
“I look forward to 2021, when we can
once again return to some normalcy in
hosting our usual Thanksgiving Dinner
and Clothing Drive,” he said.
Jones, who represented Errol Collins,
Most Worshipful Grand Master, said
he was “extremely, extremely pleased
to know that, despite the COVID-19
pandemic, efforts were still being made
to keep the tradition, and to fulfill the
Order’s mission, which includes feeding
the less fortunate and especially
those who have lost jobs during the
pandemic.
Jamaica Tourism Minister Hon.
Edmund Bartlett, left, presents
Director of the Jamaica Tourist
Board, Josef Forstmayr with a
special gift for his 23 years of unbroken
service. Jamaica Tourist Board
Brooklyn lodge serves Thanksgiving
Dinner for homeless, community
Jamaica educator among COVID-19 honorees
Gift for JTB
director for
his service
Rose Graham with Brooklyn Borough
President Eric Adams. Rose
Graham