JAMAICAN business-man, Glenford Christian, Founder/ Chairman of Cari-Med Limited and Kirk Distributors, was among seven individuals honoured by the Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Golden Krust Foundation Inc at their Tenth Annual Awards Gala at the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle, New York, on June 11.

The foundation said the seven were honoured for “their dedication to service, commitment to excellence and outstanding contributions to the (Jamaican) community”.

Christian, who last November became the 22nd inductee into the prestigious Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame, rose from a childhood of poverty in rural Clarendon into entrepre-neurship, establishing Cari-Med Limited as a small pharmaceutical distributor-ship with three employees in 1986.

The company is currently the leading distributor of pharmaceutical products in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, with a staff complement of more than 413 persons.

In 2005, Christian also acquired the assets of Colgate Palmolive, and launched Kirk Distributors, which moves consumer products.

He is also a philanthropist, especially passionate about education, and has given generously to a number of educational initiatives across Jamaica.

In 2010, he established the Evelyn Mitchell Infant School and Centre of Excellence, named in honour of his mother in Clarendon, and he recently completed refurbishing and re-equipping the computer lab at his alma mater, Brandon Hill Primary, Clarendon.

The other six honourees at the Golden Krust Foundation awards function were: Susan Taylor, Founder & CEO, National CARES Mentoring Movement; David C. Banks, President & CEO, The Eagle Academy; Paul C. Brunson, Founder & President, The Paul C. Brunson Agency; Dr. Hector Estepan, Medical Director of West Caldwell Health Council; Dr. Suzanne Greenidge, Founder/ Director, Woman to Woman OB/GYN; and the Rev. Granville Senior, Senior Pastor, United Church of Jesus Christ.

The Mavis & Ephraim Hawthorne Foundation was established in 2005 by Lowell Hawthorne. He learnt the rudiments of baking from his parents, who operated the Hawthorne & Sons Bakery in Jamaica, which has since evolved into the Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill restaurant chain in the United States.

In fact, Hawthorne’s Jamaican beef patties have become so successful that Golden Krust Bakery now produces more than 20,000 patties a day. One of their largest customers is the New York City educational system, which purchases a variety of beef patties for lunch programmes, providing the children with a meal at lunch time, while developing a taste for Caribbean products.

Golden Krust now has over 120 stores and restaurants across nine states with revenue of over US$100 million annually.

This year, the foundation plans to award at least 50 scholarships to high school seniors at their Annual Scholarship Ceremony to be held in July. Each awardee will receive US$4,000 over four years.

“Not only are we committing to the financial support of our scholarship recipients, but we are providing them with a lifelong community and network. They will be added to the long list of scholars,” said a release from the foundation.