The Anne Blue Scholarship Gala highlighting young scholars

By Allison Skeete

		Toussaint Boyce (left) and David Blue Sr., brother of the late Anne
		Left: Candidate for Civil Court Judge, Ingrid Joseph & Candidate for the 45th District Council Seat, Ruddie Daley support the Anne Blue Scholarship Event
		Twins, Micha & Kalila Nelson with Tiffani Cooke (center), who recently passed the NYS Bar, daughter of the late Anne Blue

The Blue family gala again celebrated the life of the late Anne E. C. Blue at their Annual Dinner Dance; the sole source of funding for The Friends of Anne Blue Scholarship Fund, established in 1993. To date, scholarships and contributions have been made annually to students in Guyana who excel at various exams.

Winners are selected in the interest of education development, academic excellence and community service. The CXC winner gets G$250,000; the outstanding 2nd year law student at UG is awarded $75,000; the top performing student in Common Entrance Exams at St. Gabriel’s $20,000 and $30,000 goes to the outstanding student for 'O' Level performance at Bishops’ High School.

The Scholarship Fund conducts free Saturday class for middle school students and covers Mathematics, Computer Science, English, Biology and CPR in its curriculum and there is also a scholarship for students who are graduating from high school in Brooklyn. Jarryd Sampson and twin sisters Micha & Kalila Nelson are the winners this year in Brooklyn. Guyanese scholar and 1999 Anne Blue Scholarship winner Toussaint Boyce, was on hand to congratulate this years’ New York recipients.

Boyce, who holds a law degree, recently joined the finance law team of prestigious international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP’s New York office. Prior to that, he served as the Manager, Legal Services and Manager, Corporate Finance with the Republic Bank Group in Guyana and, in Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, Toussaint holds a Certificate in International Financial Law from the Euromoney International Financial Law School at Oxford University, and a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago; there he was awarded the Mathieu Sellier Prize in trial advocacy and an Executive Diploma in Banking with distinction from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking from Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C.

This event has become ‘the one’ to attend for local community leaders and political hopefuls, who praise the Blue family for their continued committed efforts and support to the Central Brooklyn area. In attendance were Ingrid Joseph, candidate for Judgeship of the New York Civil Court; Mt. Vernon Comptroller Maureen Walker; the Reverend Evelyn John; members of (OSHAG/C) the Organization for Social and Health Advancement in Guyana and the Caribbean, headed by Carol Bagot; the Guyana Nurses Association; the Guyana Cultural Association and President of the think-tank group Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy Rickford Burke.

Central Brooklyn is now a hotbed for what’s shaping up to be an exciting political race for the seat to be vacated by Councilman Dr. Kendall Stewart; Stewart’s office came under scrutiny for financial discrepancies by two members of his staff earlier this year.

So far there are at least 14 community leaders who have acknowledged their interest in the 45th District seat; among them are well known activist and CUNY Kingsborough Professor, Sam Taitt, Rodrick (Ruddie) Daley and John Williams. Taitt has run for the 45th District seat before and is the most well-known of the group; Daley is well known as an education advocate and is highly visible in that sector while Mr. Williams is established in the community’s religious sector. Support for the Friends of Anne Blue Scholarship Fund, can be mailed to 4708 Church Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, donations can be subject to tax exemption.