St. Mary- The Kiwanis Club of St. Mary has selected Chris Blackwell of Island Communications as the second winner of the Club’s L.B. Creary Memorial Quality of Life Award.
Initiated last year, the award is presented annually by the Creary family and the St. Mary Kiwanis Club to the individual who in their estimation, has done the most to improve the lives of the less fortunate in St. Mary.
The late Luneville B. Creary, after whom the award is named, was a Charter Member of the St. Mary Kiwanis Club and served director for several years and remained an active member until his death a few years ago.
Mr. Creary also served the parish as president and Charter member of the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce of which his son Don Creary is currently president. Well known and well-loved throughout Jamaica for philanthropy and hospitality and his work to assist the less fortunate in the parish, the inscription on his trophy reads: “This award is presented in memory of a man who adhered to the principles and ideals of Honesty, Fairplay and Integrity and lived by the First Object of Kiwanis International — Give primacy to the Human and Spiritual rather than the Material values of Life May this award spur its recipients to the greater service.”
Generosity
Mr. Blackwell was selected to receive the award because of the amount of the assistance he has rendered to various institutions in the parish. The Port Maria Hospital and the Oracabessa Secondary, the Claude Stewart Park, the St. Mary Parish Church, the Environmental Committee of the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce, the Port Maria Infirmary, the town of Oracabessa are only a few of the many who have benefited from Blackwell’s generosity.
Mr. Blackwell recently set up the Oracabessa Foundation as the Philanthropic arm of his Island conglomerate. The foundation has set up a group of community outreach officers called “LYNX” who have been instrumental in preventing tourist harassment and abuse of the environment in the Oracabessa area. Mr. Blackwell has plans for a major tourism development on the Oracabessa waterfront.
Last year, the inaugural award was presented to Mr. Joe Issa, currently a Honorary Member of the St. Mary Kiwanis Club, and who recently also received the prestigious International Hotel Association’s Young Hotelier of the world award.
The Creary name has become synonymous with Kiwanis in St. Mary as apart from Mr. Luneville
Creary’s contributions, two of his sons are members of the St. Mary Club. Don Creary is a Past President who led the Club in the 1989/90 administrative year and holds the distinction of being the youngest ever Kiwanis President in the world. Another son Richard is the Immediate Past Secretary of the Club.
The Creary/Kiwauis connection does not end there as Mr. L.B. Creary’s widow, Norma, was recently elected president of the newly chartered All-Female Kiwanis Club of Port Maria.
Source: The Observer
