The George Phillips Excellence Award 2025:
The Rotary Club of St. Vincent proudly hosted its annual George Phillips Excellence Award ceremony on Thursday, June 5th, 2025, at the Methodist Church Hall in Kingstown. This esteemed event recognized 27 outstanding fourth form students from secondary schools across St. Vincent and the Grenadines for their exceptional performance and positive contributions to school life.
Awardees were selected through a collaborative process involving both peers and teachers, with assessments based on academic excellence, discipline, leadership, deportment, helpfulness, and involvement in extracurricular activities. Each recipient attended the ceremony accompanied by a parent and a teacher, underscoring the community-wide support behind their success.
Named in honour of George Phillips (1928–1996) — the Rotary Club’s Charter President, a celebrated national athlete, scholar, and social activist — the award has become a flagship youth recognition initiative of the Rotary Club for over 20 years. The event is hosted in partnership with the Ministry of Education and National Reconciliation.
In his remarks, the Honourable Curtis King, Minister of Education and National Reconciliation, praised the Rotary Club for its unwavering commitment to youth development. He congratulated the awardees on their achievements and highlighted the invaluable role played by parents and educators in shaping the next generation of leaders.
The feature address was delivered by Mr. Ezra Hendrickson, Head Coach of the SVG National Football Team (Vincy Heat). He encouraged the students to remain grounded in their values, to lead with empathy, and to continue striving for both personal excellence and community impact.
The awards were presented by Mr. Wendell Phillips, son of George Phillips, along with Mrs. Dawnette Constance, current president of the Rotary Club of St. Vincent, and Mrs. Felicia Cumberbatch, incoming president for the 2025–2026 Rotary year.
Major sponsors of this year’s event included:
The Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which provided each student with a starter bank account preloaded with EC$150.00
FLOW, which gifted each awardee with 12 months of free broadband internet
The Rotary Club extends sincere thanks to all sponsors whose generous support made the event a resounding success:
ECGC’s Island Sipz Water, Jaden Inc., St. Vincent Brewery Limited, Coreas Distribution Limited, Coreas Hazells Inc., Grenadine Airways, Fanfare Events, BDO, Dental Arts Clinic, Bequia Express, and NJ Décor.
This meaningful celebration of youth excellence continues to reinforce the Rotary Club’s mission of “Service Above Self”, inspiring the nation’s youth to become compassionate, educated, and impactful citizens.
