Recap: Woga New York’s Fundraising Gala 2017 – ‘Great Gatsby, Flourish Edition’
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Photos By: Janeen Johnally
Saturday, October 7, 2017, was a delightful evening for Westwood alumnae, their families and friends who came from all over the tri-state area, Florida and Jamaica to attend WOGA New York’s Great Gatsby fundraiser.
The event, which was held at Bay Ridge Manor in Brooklyn, began with a cocktail hour that included an open bar and a choice of appetizers. We mixed and mingled, greeting old friends while meeting new ones. Some of us saw alumnae we hadn’t seen since graduating from Westwood High School.
The program officially started when the president welcomed our attendees, making special mention of the president of WOGA Jamaica, Rickaye Brown, and the treasurer of WOGA South Florida, Cheryl Spence. She thanked the project team for the splendid production – and what a production it was! Shamere McKenzie deserves special recognition for bringing elegance to the space with her style of decorating. Alumna Carol Forrester-Hoyte led us in prayer before we stood at attention for the playing of the U.S. national anthem, followed by the Jamaican national anthem (“Jamaica, Land We Love”). Finally, we were treated to a resounding rendition of the school song, “Oh Westwood,” recorded by alumna Keona Bailey.
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The president then introduced Janice Julian, our emcee for the evening and what a treat she was. Janice masterfully walked us through the various segments of the fundraiser, encouraging guests to support the Silent Auction throughout the evening. We were treated to a very classy performance by jazz singer Gabrielle Lee, who entertained us while we dined on delicious food. Alumna Nicky Blaze thrilled everyone with her fiery, energetic performance that could have continued until the next morning. Finally, Jhoey, our youngest performer and the daughter of an alumna, closed out our dinner entertainment with three songs.
It was time for Lesleyann Samuel, president of the Union of Jamaican Alumni Associations USA, Inc. (UJAA), to deliver the keynote speech. Spellbinding. Fascinating. Riveting. Wonderful. Inspiring. These are some of the words I heard used to describe Lesleyann’s speech. Amplifying the evening’s theme, Flourish, she spoke of ways Westwood old girls can make an impact on current students, give back to our communities, get involved, and become better citizens. How exhilarating it was to sit in the audience and be transfixed by a woman of her caliber, speaking to an old girls alumnae association, for the benefit of girls in a girls’ boarding school. We were in awe.
Overall, it was a truly successful evening. The planning team reveled in our success as we all danced the night away.
A very special thank you to all our members, alumnae, friends, colleagues and family who attended or supported our event. Heartfelt thanks to our sponsors: Caribbean Food Delights, LDI Color Toolbox, Perry Consulting, Gromm Tax Services, Inc., and Cox Padmore Skolnik & Shakarchy, LLP for their gracious support. We are also grateful to all our performers, our emcee, speaker, photographer and disc jockey for helping to make our fundraising event a successful and memorable one.
The Gatsby Planning Team: Shamere, Natoya, Shaunese, Stacy, Skeeta, Sonia & Jenniffer.
