thebahamasweekly.com - Day of Service Announced to Commemorate Legacy of Keva M. Bethel‏

From:TheBahamasWeekly.com

Community
Day of Service Announced to Commemorate Legacy of Keva M. Bethel‏
By The College Of The Bahamas Office of Communication
Oct 5, 2012 - 10:03:42 AM

From left: College President Dr. Betsy Boze; Co-chair, Keva M. Bethel Service Day Planning Committee, Mrs. Elma Garraway and Mr. Algernon Allen, Urban Renewal.

Nassau, Bahamas – The community of Bain and Grants Town benefit from a coordinated day of community service on Saturday, October 6th, 2012 aptly named in honour of education visionary the late Dr. Keva M. Bethel.

Dr. Bethel's distinctive legacy in education is unparalleled and she was a committed leader who believed in service both in the public and private sectors.

The College of The Bahamas has partnered with a range of civic and service groups, including the Girl Guides, the Governor General’s Youth Award programme, Urban Renewal, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Toastmasters to clean-up and beautify Bain Town; painting the Buster Brown Memorial Park and doing street cleaning. Residents will also be involved.

President of The College of The Bahamas Dr. Betsy Boze noted, “This outreach is a deliberate effort by The College to become more actively engaged in the lives of the residents and for the community to see The College as an ally, through which they can gain access to a pool of available resources to assist supporting their communities. Our College of The Bahamas Union of Students (COBUS) and many other student service groups are involved with this effort and we trust that the dialogues started through this service day will yield many positive results for The College and its neighbours.”

At right, Co-chair, Keva M. Bethel Service Day Planning Committee, Mrs. Elma Garraway explains the anticipated impact of the service day flanked by (from left):Ms. Willamae Johnson, College Librarian; Dr. Gail Saunders and Dr. Betsy Boze, College of The Bahamas

Mrs. Elma Garraway, co-chair of the Keva M. Bethel Service Day Planning Committee, said the Cornerstone Church of God and the Greater Bethel Mission Church are also community partners in the effort. These churches will serve as operational headquarters for the projects.

Rev. Patricia Rolle of the Church of God shared that, “We are thankful for this outreach from The College in partnering with historical Bain Town. We have many families that need assistance in the area, and often we cannot provide for all of them. We wish to thank this committee for seeing our needs.”

Co-chair of Urban Renewal, Mr. Algernon Allen was also pleased about the extent to the community involvement. “I am happy that this initiative has been embraced by the people. It speaks to our higher purpose here; that we aim to bring dignity to the underprivileged, those who are marginalized, because at the end of the day we are one, we are one, we are one Bahamas.”

Members of the public are also invited to participate.

Keva Bethel was the first female Principal and President of the College (1982 - 1998). She was appointed President Emerita in 2005, a special place of honour among the College of The Bahamas family. In August, The College also held a Distinguished Lecture and Exhibition and named the landmark administrative complex in Dr. Bethel's honour.

A commemorative book is also being prepared by Sidda Communications due for release in November 2012 and a special Memorial Endowment and Fellows Programme aimed at mentoring young leaders are being established.