“Please help me celebrate Saint Lucia’s inclusion in the Caribbean Sick Kids Paediatric Centre and Blood Disorder Project….donations to the Sick Kids Foundation exclusively,” read the invitation to members of the Caribbean diaspora. Words that could well be said by servant leader Jeannie Beausoleil, as she continues to pour herself into community service on her birthday – 60 beautiful years and counting!

Yes, it was not about the birthday girl. The “Gala” fit for a Queen, was a birthday wish for “Saint Lucia”, a close and responsible family member of the Caribbean Sick Kids initiative.
Guess who came to dinner at Peter and Paul Banquet Hall last Saturday night from far and near?

Ah! The Governor of Saint Lucia, Dame Pearlette Louisy, former Calypso Monarch Dennis James, Eddison Doyle, musician extraordinaire, a live band, a master DJ, and so it went on into a pleasant evening.
Of course, being International Women’s Year, all the nurses in the house were graced with a red rose in appreciation for their work of faith and labour of love – tears flowed freely.

Jeannie said she can recall great sayings, great deeds, great experiences, great examples and personalities, the down side and the learning experiences during these years. “However, I choose to let the positive prevail, and making a difference together with my friends and the members of the Saint Lucia/Toronto Aid Action Group (STAAG). As an advocate for awareness of Breast and Prostrate, I know that no child should be left without the love and care of others”, Jeannie said.
And Jeannie’s birthday wish came true: $11,000 was raised for the Sick Kids Foundation. Giving our beloved children of the Caribbean a chance!
www.sickKids.ca