On July 9, 2026, St. John’s Hospice gathered key stakeholders and its royal patrons for its annual general meeting, convened this year at the historic Government House of Antigua and Barbuda. The event brought together the hospice’s full Board of Directors, alongside the organization’s Patrons: His Excellency The Rt. Hon. Sir Rodney Williams, GCMG, KGN, KSt.J, Governor-General of Antigua and Barbuda, and Her Excellency Lady Williams.
Chaired by St. John’s Hospice President Pedro Corbin, the meeting began promptly at 10 a.m. with the annual Chairman’s Report, which offered a comprehensive review of the organization’s activities and milestones across the 2025 fiscal year, closing on December 31. Corbin’s address outlined progress across four core priorities: strengthening the hospice’s institutional governance frameworks, expanding targeted fundraising campaigns, completing critical infrastructure upgrades, and advancing strategic plans to secure the organization’s long-term operational stability.
Following the chairman’s presentation, Treasurer Pauline Walker delivered the official audited financial statements for the same 12-month period. The documents confirmed a small but stable operating surplus for the year, offering clear evidence of the hospice’s careful, responsible financial leadership. Board members used the moment to publicly acknowledge the ongoing support of the hospice’s broad network of givers, including individual donors, unpaid volunteers, corporate collaborators, and community partners. These contributions, the board emphasized, remain the backbone of the hospice’s core mission: delivering compassionate, person-centered end-of-life care to those in need across the country.
In his featured remarks to the assembly, Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams offered high praise for the board, leadership team, paid staff, and volunteer corps of St. John’s Hospice. He commended the group for its unwavering dedication to delivering accessible, high-quality palliative care to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting the organization’s robust governance, prudent fiscal management, and consistent commitment to treating patients and their family members with respect and empathy.
Sir Rodney Williams encouraged the board to continue building on the momentum of recent achievements, and issued a call to action for the broader Antigua and Barbuda community to back the hospice’s work. Whether through donating time as a volunteer, amplifying the organization’s mission through advocacy, or contributing charitable funds, community support remains critical, he noted, adding that St. John’s Hospice has grown into an irreplaceable national institution and a point of collective pride for the country.
After the formal business of the AGM concluded, board members were invited to take a guided tour of the newly renovated sections of Government House itself. The tour gave attendees a first-hand look at the significant restoration progress completed at the site, one of the nation’s most culturally significant historic landmarks. It also highlighted the ongoing work to protect the building’s unique architectural heritage and cultural legacy for future generations.
The St. John’s Hospice Board extended sincere gratitude for the opportunity to tour the restored space, and joined the Governor-General and Lady Williams in encouraging all citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda to visit the landmark and support its ongoing restoration and preservation efforts. A photo from the event captures Sir Rodney Williams, presiding at the head of the meeting table, with Lady Williams seated to his left and Hospice President Pedro Corbin seated to his right, alongside the full board in attendance.