(ORILLIA, ON) – On Saturday, November 16, 2024, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), the Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E.) and the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA) jointly hosted the 32nd annual A.B.L.E. Scholarship and Awards Gala. The theme for the event was “Passion, Purpose and Persistence: Celebrating Excellence.”
The gala was hosted by emcees Deputy Commissioner Rohan Thompson of the OPP and Carrie John, who retired as the Manager of Probation and Parole in the Ministry of the Solicitor General. The event featured keynote speaker Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis of the Memphis Police Department.
There were more than 800 guests in attendance to witness the presentation of 11 scholarships and nine awards.
The 2024 A.B.L.E. Scholarship recipients are:
- Isabella Bedoya-Romero, Niagara College
- D-yana Bommier, Concordia University
- Vanessa Budimunda, University of Windsor
- Maheep Grewal, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
- Benjamin Harvey, University of Guelph-Humber
- Ranisha King, Brock University
- Reine Ndome, University of Windsor
- Success Ogboe, Osgoode Hall Law School
- Oraydo Poyser, Niagara College
- Alexis Remekie, Ontario Tech University
- Aiyana Thomas, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
The 2024 A.B.L.E. Award recipients are:
- Nicole De Roché, Outports and Postal Operations District – Community Leadership Award
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Surrey Detachment – Teamwork Award
- Enyinnah Okere, Edmonton Police Service – Program Innovation Award
- Tennyson Ramsay, Toronto Transit Commission – Leadership Excellence Award
- Gelila Geremew, Black Youth Rising Project – Rising Star Award
- Staff Sergeant (Retired) Wesley Erskine, Ontario Provincial Police – Trailblazer Award
- Commander (Retired) Patrice Vilceus, Service de police de la Ville de Montréal – Legacy Award
- Danielle Dowdy, Toronto Police Services Board – President’s Award
- Kevin Snedden, Correctional Services Canada – Leading Change Recognition Award
Additional information is available at opp.ca/ablegala or ableorg.ca.
QUOTES
“The OPP was proud to partner with A.B.L.E. and the OPPA to co-host this year’s Scholarship and Awards Gala. The Gala provided a wonderful opportunity for the OPP to recognize the important contributions of our Black officers and the OPP’s commitment to representing the diversity of the communities that we serve. We were delighted to work with A.B.L.E. and the OPPA to honour the work of our current and former law enforcement leaders and celebrate a new generation of outstanding professionals.” – OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique
“A.B.L.E. was formed in 1992 to address the needs and concerns of Black and other racialized minorities in law enforcement and the community. Each year, A.B.L.E. works to provide scholarship opportunities to Black and minority youth studying to be our future public safety professionals. It is with great pleasure that A.B.L.E., the OPP and the OPPA partnered to host the 2024 A.B.LE. Scholarship and Awards Gala. This year’s theme was ‘Passion, Purpose and Persistence’ with an emphasis on celebrating excellence in law enforcement, as we continue to build strong relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities we serve.” – Jacqueline Edwards, President, Association of Black Law Enforcers.
“The OPP Association was honoured to be the first police association to co-host the A.B.L.E. Scholarship and Awards Gala. A.B.L.E. has a long history of celebrating and supporting law enforcement and being inclusive of all. We are grateful to all the organizers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the evening was a resounding success.”
– OPPA President John Cerasulo
