Teacher, student win Unsung Heroes programme

A schoolteacher and a secondary student were celebrated by CIBC Caribbean for their care and kindness and as first and second place winners of the Trinidad and Tobago leg of the Unsung Heroes programme.

A media release said, at 80, Marlene Gilbert, or Aunty Marlene as she is fondly called, still carries the status of teacher, as she remains passionately faithful to her lifelong vocation of nurturing minds. Her last posting was at Mucurapo Senior Comprehensive until her retirement in 2000. However, on a Sunday, her Belmont residence becomes a space for school-age children as young as 11, some coming as far as Arima, to participate in extra-curricular lessons. Through her diligence and appreciation of individual learning personalities, she brings to the fore what many of her young charges don’t recognise as their potential, just yet.

A member of St Crispin’s Anglican Church in Woodbrook, Aunty Marlene serves the national community as an active member of the Netball Association of TT. She further gives of her time in pursuit of creating a stable and supportive environment for the younger members of society to showcase their sporting talents.

At 16, Renalon Villafana organised a student-led outreach to the Ezekiel Home for Abandoned Children. Rather than wait for business donors to support his cause to purchase items for the home, Renalon did a fundraising effort at school, motivating classmates to join in. Together, they brought gifts, snack hampers, and games to the children.

As student council president at Tabaquite Secondary, he hosted his first-ever beach clean-up at Mayaro Beach, reaching out to companies personally to secure sponsorship. His persistence and organisational skills made the event a success, earning recognition on his school’s official Facebook page. He later led a second clean-up, mobilising more volunteers. Through persistence and example, he showed young people that caring for the earth is part of caring for the community, the release said.

Just recently, he won his category in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

Unsung Heroes is built on the strong legacy which ran from 2003-2013 and highlighted and rewarded scores of Caribbean men and women working quietly in their communities and making a difference in the lives of many. This year, the Caribbean bank revived the campaign to find those hidden heroes across its ten-member regional footprint. The result was a crop of 39 nominees, confirming what was already known – that there is a very strong culture of care and kindness in communities all across our Caribbean.

At the celebration for the Trinidad winners, which was held on December 3, Mahadeo Sebarath, country head for CIBC Caribbean in TT said the presentation of awards was timely since it is the season of giving.

“To think of what you are doing and these activities were not publicly known until now, that is truly commendable. The hope you create in every person you touch, it would be a tragedy to go unnoticed,” Sebarath said.

The awardees, Aunty Marlene and Renalon, said they will continue to make a difference in their communities.

“Getting something like this makes you feel good,” said Aunty Marlene.

“This is a touching acknowledgement,” said Renalon.

Their achievements were also considered for the Regional Unsung Heroes Award. Taking that title was Lucinda “Mini” Smith, of Tortola, British Virgin Islands.