Celebrating the impactful

Caribbean Life and Schneps Community News Group’s, annual Caribbean Impact award gala honored 36 standout Caribbean-American individuals with a stunning ceremony at Paradise Catering Hall on Nov. 15.

The event celebrates people of Caribbean background who have created the most impact in their respective career fields — from the arts, to advocacy, entrepreneurship, and much more. By establishing themselves in these lanes, they’ve helped continue opening the path incoming immigrants and inspiring generations to come.

The awardees were Shaundell Agrippa, Rhonda Binda. Rickford Burke, Garnes Byron, Glenda Codogan, Andrea D. Charles, Irwine G. Clare Sr., Andrew A. Clarke, Michelle Cole, Karen Crawford-Marcelle, Rick Davy, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Jackson Farrell, Eric Girault, Rohan Gittens Robert Gordon, Khalid Hamid, Marlene Heath, Dolores Herbert, David Heron, Aminta Kilawan Narine Esq., Elva Lewis, Shelly Marshall, John P. McQueen, Vivia Morgan, Clive E. Neil, Daniel O’Brien, Roy Reid, Tracey Rousseau, Sanford Rubenstein, Dr. Claudia V, Schrader, Vilma Smith, Marie Yolaine Toms, Tamara Weston, Tiffany Williams, and Shelley Worrell.

This year’s recipients included authors, writers, business shop owners, publicists, actors, musicians, community and religious leaders, journalists, and designers.

Many of the Impact Award recipients have ancestry hailing from all over the Caribbean — specifically Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Virgin Islands.

Reach reporter Alexandra Simon at (718) 260–8310 or e-mail her at asimon@cnglocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @AS1mon.