Trevor Massey is a former head boy of Wolmer’s Boys’ School.

by Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer

October 10, 2026

TORONTO:

Six outstanding individuals will be celebrated at the second annual Jamaican Diaspora Impact Awards (JDIA) Gala, organised by the Consulate General of Jamaica in Toronto.

The event, scheduled for October 23 at the Toronto Botanical Garden under the theme “Celebrating Legacy, Leadership and Community Impact,” will recognise the contributions of Verna Andrade, Diana Burke, Maureen Henry, Dwayne Holness, and Dionne Sinclair. Trevor Massey will receive the JDIA Icon Award, honouring his distinguished legacy of leadership in education, youth development, and diaspora service.

“The Jamaican Diaspora Impact Awards are about recognising people whose leadership, service, and commitment have made a meaningful difference over many years,” said Kurt Davis, consul general of Jamaica in Toronto.

“The Jamaican Diaspora in Canada is filled with extraordinary individuals who continue to strengthen communities while maintaining deep and meaningful connections to Jamaica. The JDIA gives us an opportunity to celebrate their stories, honour their work, and inspire the next generation of community leaders.”

The 2026 honourees represent a broad range of achievements, including leadership in education, healthcare, youth development, culture, entrepreneurship, community service, mentorship, advocacy, and charitable work across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

Andrade, who is from Johnson Mountain, St Thomas, has built her life around service, resilience, and a deep commitment to uplifting others. Her journey from Jamaica to Canada was marked by courage and determination. After migrating to Canada as a domestic worker, she continued her education and pursued a respected healthcare career, eventually retiring as a registered nurse.

A longstanding member of the Jamaican Canadian Association, Andrade now serves as president of the Canadian Friends of St Thomas Health Care Organization, which travels to Jamaica annually to provide eye testing and free eyeglasses to persons in need.

Burke is a business leader, philanthropist, and community advocate whose more than four decades of leadership have been distinguished by an unwavering commitment to improving lives in Jamaica and Canada.

As president of PACE Canada (Project for the Advancement of Childhood Education), she has spent decades advancing early childhood education and creating opportunities for some of Jamaica’s youngest and most vulnerable learners.

Burke has also supported Jamaicans through her work as president and director of the People Bridge Charitable Foundation. She has mobilised donors to provide funding for the Alpha Boys’ Institute in Kingston, supporting its music and skills-training programmes for at-risk youth while also helping to secure medical equipment for hospitals in Jamaica.

Born in Kingston, Henry was raised in a family where giving back was not only encouraged but expected. That foundation shaped a lifelong commitment to service.

She volunteered at a basic school, supporting children between the ages of one and six, and later brought that same passion to Ontario, where she became involved in her son’s daycare community. Henry also volunteered in political outreach initiatives aimed at encouraging community participation in the democratic process.

Earlier this year, the Jamaican Canadian Association recognised Henry for her volunteer work supporting Hurricane Melissa relief initiatives.

Holness, founder and creative director of Corex Creative Inc, was five years old when his mother, Yvonne Robinson, left Kingston to begin a new life in Canada. Settling in Toronto’s Jane and Finch community, they started with very little and built a future from the ground up.

He later transformed a side hustle into a multimillion-dollar cinematic brand storytelling agency. Corex has since produced campaigns and films for numerous Canadian companies and institutions.

When Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in 2025, Holness co-founded Jamaica Strong, raising more than US$20,000 in nine days for relief efforts. He later travelled across St James, Westmoreland, and St Elizabeth documenting the devastation. The experience resulted in Jamaica Strong: Rising After the Storm, a short documentary highlighting the recovery efforts.

Sinclair, an internationally recognized healthcare executive, community builder and financial literacy advocate, currently serves as vice-president of clinical operations and chief nursing executive at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

For the past four years, she has served on the board of directors of Curling Jamaica, supporting the growth and international representation of the sport while helping to expand opportunities for Jamaican athletes.

Massey, a Kingston native who has lived in Canada for nearly six decades, devoted more than 30 years to Centennial College as registrar before retiring. In 2012, he founded the Lifelong Leadership Institute, an organisation dedicated to leadership development and educational advancement for labck youth through its flagship programmes, Leadership by Design and SummerUp.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner, October 10, 2026. Republished for the Wolmer’s Trust community with attribution.