June 20, 2003 – By day he's behind the desk as deputy director at the St. John office of the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, but when work is done, Alvis Christian, 53, moves on to his other role as community leader.
Christian's years of contributions were recognized on Sunday when the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation honored him as one of 15 Unsung Heroes across the nation. He received a plaque at the foundation's Spouses Weekend celebration.
"It is an added pleasure to have had Alvis receive such a well-deserved honor during the activities," Delegate Donna M. Chrisensen said in a release.
The delegate nominated him for the honor, Christian said.
Christian is the guiding force behind the John's Folly Learning Center, which provides educational programs for students primarily from the John's Folly area. He and fellow volunteers rehabilitated the long-closed Horace Mann School so that it could become the setting for the center.
He sees the learning center as an appropriate use for the building where he and many of the area's older residents went to school. "It was the first learning opportunity," he said.
Christian also serves as Sunday School superintendent and in other roles at Emmaus Moravian Church. He is a member of the board of directors of the Government Development Bank and of the University of the Virgin Islands Water Resources Research Institute.
"There's a lot of positive in what he does," St. John Administrator Julien Harley said, adding that the community needs "positive" people such as Christian to do what needs to be done.
Born on St. John, Christian graduated in 1968 from Charlotte Amalie High School. He went on to study at the Monroe Business Institute in New York and earned an associate degree in accounting and finance from Mercy College in New York.
He has a son, Alvis Eric Christian Jr., 31, who lives in New York.
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