Dec. 7, 2005 — The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands awarded its Silverbells and Cockleshells Gold Award to Marge Tonks at the Kids Count Community Forum at the Buccaneer Resort on Wednesday morning.
Tonks, 88, is a retired teacher. She came to the Virgin Islands in the early 70s as a VISTA volunteer at Camp Arawak, a drug deterrent program that developed in the 80s to include many other successful programs.
In receiving the award from Verna Christian-Garcia and Dee Baecher-Brown, CFVI's president, at the St. Croix event, Tonks said with a big smile, "Many of you here know me and might not think I deserve this award, but I do."
The award includes $1,000 cash. Tonks, who is an officer of the Interfaith Coalition, said that was a lot of money and she knew where to spend it. She said workers for the Interfaith Coalition had to work in a hot office and the money was going to go to buy an air conditioner for that office.
Tonks has also volunteered her time with the Women's Coalition, the IFC Volunteer Caregivers Program and the Alternative to Violence Project.
The Silver Award and $500 was given by CFVI to Corine Matthias. Matthias has for many years been a parent volunteer with the Love City Pan Dragons Youth Street Orchestra on St. John.
The Bronze Award and $250 went to Monique Green-Lynch. Green-Lynch has conducted the Children's and Young People's Choirs and the Adult Gospel Choir at the Memorial Moravian Church on St. Thomas for 18 years.
These awards were established in 2002 to "acknowledge and reward the hard work and tenacious spirit of individuals and organizations in the U.S. Virgin Islands that are working to improve the lives of children and families."
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