Venetta Zakers has shown that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others (Ghandi).

By: Tito Chapman

At a brief ceremony organized by CIBC on Thursday, 11th September 2025,  two women, namely Venetta Zakers and Julie Charles, were honoured for their extraordinary voluntary contributions to the community.

The event, CIBC Unsung Hero Awards Ceremony, was held at the CIBC Branch in Basseterre, St. Kitts and was chaired by Sharon Rattan.

Venetta Zakers Unsung Hero

Zakers Affinity Causes Founder Venetta Zakers won the CIBC St Kitts 2025 Unsung Hero award. In so doing, she earns a spot in the CIBC Regional Unsung Hero competition. Her winning prizes included a floral arrangement and a cheque valued at XCD13,500.

The Zakers Affinity Causes provides outreach, support and empowerment to underserved and at risk women and children.

Some of the activities include:
🔹Inmate Rehabilitation

🔹Grooming the Elderly

🔹 Educational Initiatives for Children with Disabilities

🔹 Leadership workshop for Teenage Girls

Zakers Affinity Causes is a non-profit, all-volunteer organisation.

Prior to the announcement of the winner, chairperson Rattan shared a short overview of Zakers. She said,

Miss Venetta Zakers is not only the founder and driving force behind the Zakers Affinity Causes, a non-profit, all-volunteer organisation- I would like to emphasise, all volunteer; dedicated to reaching, inspiring, supporting and empowering underserved individuals within the community, she is a servant, a youth advocate, and an unsung pioneer for positive change. She created and focused on programmes relating to juvenile delinquency or prostitution pipelines. All the beneficiaries are at-risk girls, single-parent families, incarcerated women, and newly divergent women, children, and adults. Venetta’s endeavours provide food, clothing, and household essentials. It addresses era poverty, emotional resuscitation, skill-based, and self-development training. Creating a ripple-reversing effect is nothing short of outstanding. Venetta, now 40, her initiatives in 2012, has already devoted 13 years of her life, along with a small network of volunteers.

Julie Charles Runner Up

Julie Charles, a domestic violence advocate, copped the runner-up award. She received a floral arrangement and a cheque valued at XCD6,750.

In a brief overview of what Charles does, chairperson Sharon Rattan said,

A domestic violence advocate who aids victims in finding their courage, as well as assisting them in accessing social services, and a well-known, she’s also a well-known motivational speaker, primarily to teens and younger women. Her motivational speeches are encouraging and energise young women with confidence to take on the world, knowing that anything is possible. She established the Big Sister Programme since 2004 and became a volunteer facilitator for the Ministry of Gender, Faith, and Social Development. Her popular article garnered local and regional leadership on the subject, ‘The Silent Epidemic of Prostate in St. Kitts.”

The winning tokens were presented by CIBC Country Manager Eberna Whyte.

The event musical entertainment was provided by Nigel Prentice.

CIBC Caribbean Unsung Heroes Award

CIBC’s Unsung Hero Award recognises those who have gone above and beyond to make a difference in their communities, often without seeking recognition.

This year, CIBC is seeking to build on its decade-long Unsung Heroes programme, which ran from 2003 to 2013. The Unsung Heroes Award is open to individuals 10 years and older who have been making a difference in their communities but have not been recognised or rewarded in any significant way.

Under this new campaign, an individual can be nominated in one of two categories: 

• outstanding work in the community

• an act of heroism, bravery, or an extraordinary act of kindness within the 12 months preceding the start of the year’s campaign.

The CIBC Caribbean Unsung Heroes programme operates across 10 territories where the bank is present.