In a move which signals a promising future for the CARIBANA™ Arts Foundation, its newly-minted board of directors announced that Canadian ethnic directories pioneer and Black Pages co-founder, Lynrod Douglas has been elected president.
The CARIBANA™ Arts Group (CAG) recently regained control of the Foundation and took immediate steps to put a reputable board in place. Other members of the board are Leslie Forbes, Secretary, Henry Gomez, Treasurer, and Renae Roberts. There is one vacant position on the board.
The organization is looking to Douglas, well known for his role in promoting and supporting the Black business community, to provide robust leadership that would see the Foundation emerge as a true catalyst for promoting Carnival Arts and Culture through education, scholarships, training and development programs and research.
Douglas said in a statement, “I’ve stood on the sidelines for years, passively watching the CARIBANA™ saga unfold. Now I see the Foundation as an effective community economic and social development vehicle with particular emphasis on our youth. A proponent of the ‘corporative economics’ ideology, Douglas added “This Foundation will allow citizens of Canada and the world to give back to a community that has been, for the past forty four years, giving to them, this wonderful gift called CARIBANA™.”
According to Douglas, plans are underway to obtain charitable status for the Foundation. He also pointed out that one of the key goals of the Foundation is to secure a permanent home for the entire CARIBANA™ Arts Group family. The Foundation is planning its first fundraising event for early spring. Stay tuned. Further information can be found on the Foundation’s new website www.CaribanaArtsFoundation.com which Douglas referees to as a work in progress.
About the CARIBANA™ Arts Foundation
The concept for the Foundation emerged from the restructuring plans of the Caribbean Cultural Committee (CCC), founders of the CARIBANA™ Festival in 1967 and legal owners of the CARIBANA™ trademark. In 2004, the old CCC was transformed into the CARIBANA™ Arts Group, a policy-making body with oversight for two new subsidiaries: CARIBANA™ Festival Management Operations to manage and produce the CARIBANA™ Festival; and CARIBANA™ Arts Foundation, an arms-length body to serve as the charitable / fundraising arm of the CARIBANA™ family. The Mission of the Foundation is to fund, promote, facilitate and support artistic and cultural expressions embodied in the Carnival Arts of the Caribbean and the Americas.
About Lynrod Douglas
A pioneer of the multicultural marketing industry in Canada, Lynrod Douglas was CEO of Black Pages Canada for 16 years before selling the company to a multi-national newspaper publisher. In addition to the Black Pages directory, the company produced several watershed events including Expo International and Black Expo Canada. Douglas assisted the City of Toronto to develop a small business strategy and to include minority-owned business in the City’s procurement process. He was appointed Chair to the Investment Committee of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation to advise on the management of a $24 million endowment fund, and served as a small business advisor to the Government of Canada.
www.caribanaartsfoundation.com
