OUR HISTORY

The Antigua and Barbuda Association of Calgary was founded by Ms. Tina Benjamin on November 1st, 1981 with an initial membership of five. The membership grew quickly to thirty-five individuals by the following year. On November 1st, 1983, the Association was incorporated under the Societies Act of the Province of Alberta. The first President was Mr. Gordon Christopher, who is also the designer of the Antigua and Barbuda Coat of Arms (pictured left). The Association’s meetings were held in Tina’s basement for quite some time until the Calgary Police Services (Community Relations Branch) allowed us to use their center in Mayland Heights for several years. After that, the venue kept changing to wherever we could find a meeting place or at a member’s home. In 2001, the Association obtained its own building.

 

The building is used by various community groups. Several theatrical groups have also used the building for practices. The building is available to the public to host meetings and other small functions as well. The membership is open to anyone who wants to contribute to the Caribbean community and Calgary’s dynamic sense voluntarism. We donate money to other non-profit organizations in the Calgary area such as The Mustard Seed Foundation, The Cancer Society, and The Calgary Women’s Shelter.

 

We believe that education is especially important. As such, in the year 2000 we started offering scholarships to students pursuing full time post secondary education. The recipients are subject to an approval process to qualify for the scholarship. Our goal is to help as many young people as possible to further their education.