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St. George’s Society of New York Beneficiary Program
About our program: St. George’s Society provides monthly stipends to the elderly and the handicapped of British and Commonwealth origins in the New York metropolitan area. It supplements inadequate incomes, provides necessary services to those housebound, repatriates, provides cremation and interment, and makes grants for incidentals to people in hospitals or nursing facilities to make their stay more comfortable. At present, we have 70 beneficiaries in the New York metropolitan area who receive an average of $5,000 a year from St. George’s Society. Most often when support is granted to elderly beneficiaries it is for their lifetime. Occasionally, a beneficiary’s circumstances improve but, more typically, they do not change and the Society’s aid increases over time. Our goal is to increase outreach to help more people.
A note from Mary Lamasney, Manton Social Worker:
One of our oldest beneficiaries, Betty O., died on March 1st. She was at home with her family. She lived a full life with happiness and sadness. She lost her first husband at the start of World War II. He was in the RAF and died soon after their marriage in 1940. She came to the United States, married a second time and had a daughter. Her daughter, Sally, wrote a moving letter to Executive Director John Shannon that I believe reflects the mission of the St. George's Society:
"It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to you today. I am sure that by this time Mary Lamasney has told you of the passing of my very dear mother Betty O. I feel a strong need to write you and tell you just how much St. George's Society and all the many people who dealt with Mum over the years meant to her. Even though Mum was an American, she never lost her love, admiration and wonderful memories of being British. She felt proud and honored to be recognized by St. George's and that recognition made her feel she was directly associated with England. Every month when her check arrived, or at Holiday time when a special check and gift came, she always marveled at the way your organization had of helping people without making them feel that they were charity cases. Your people allowed her the benefit of accepting help while still maintaining her dignity, and that is something I was so grateful for. Mum was a proud woman till the end and keeping her dignity in all situations and circumstances was something she cherished. May the Good Lord grant long life and good health to everyone involved with your wonderful organization and I hope you continue giving to other beneficiaries the same wonderful feeling you gave Betty. Sally V.”
St. George’s Society of New York Scholarship Program
About our program: In 2008, St. George’s Society launched a scholarship program for British or Commonwealth Students enrolled at Lehman College, part of CUNY, in the Bronx. In the first year, thanks to Mark C. Pigott. OBE, we were able to provide full tuition scholarships for 24 undergraduate upperclassmen/women at the college who are either British Commonwealth immigrants or first generation British Commonwealth descendants. Our goal is to be able to provide scholarships to a new group of students every year.
A few of our first Scholarship Recipients:
Michael S. was granted political asylum in the United States on November 7, 2003. He was born in India, in the southern state of Kerala. In 1998 following the electoral victory of Bharatiya Janata Party, attacks by the right-wing organization Sangh Parivar against Christians and other minorities increased dramatically. Michael’s parents were accused of collaborating with the local church to try and convert lower caste Hindus to Christianity. His parents refused to submit to the charges brought against them and weren’t allowed to file a police report claiming harassment by the local authorities and politicians. The authorities resorted to violence and ransacked the family’s home before burning it to the ground. Death threats were issued against Michael’s family and they had to flee and go into hiding. Six years later, Michael is now pursuing a degree in Public Health in the hopes that he can give back to the community that provided his family with a new life.
Ashton S. was born in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, to a long line of military men both in England and Scotland. His family moved to Canada when he was a young child and then to Nashville, TN in 1985. Ashton did not have the financial means to go to college right away so he joined the United States Navy and served during the first Gulf War. After returning from the war, Ashton moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music while working for a historic preservation consulting firm. Five years later, he moved to New York City and continued his music career while working for a nonprofit arts organization that aims to make the arts accessible to young children in the New York area by offering them $5 tickets to city-wide events. It was during this time that Ashton decided to apply to Lehman College as a music major with the dream of one day becoming a music teacher at a public school in New York City.
Chidinma E. spent her childhood and teen years in Nigeria where her father was a medical doctor at a hospital. When she was very young, her father was occasionally called into emergency surgery when there was no one to babysit her brother and her. During these times her father had to take her and her brother to the hospital with him while he performed these surgeries. It was at this young age that Chidinma developed an interest in medicine and a desire to follow in her father’s footsteps. She came to the United States in 2003 and was admitted into Los Angeles City College in 2004. Chidinma transferred to Lehman College where she is pursuing a major in Chemistry with a specialization in biochemistry. She plans to enroll in medical school in the fall of 201
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