A self-proclaimed “quiz mistress” who has persuaded Virgin Islands firms to help her raise $600,000 for good causes has been awarded the British Empire Medal.
Julie Cooper was recognised in the King’s birthday honours list for her services to charity and was given the medal in a ceremony at Government House presided over by Governor Daniel Pruce last Thursday.
“This means everything,” Ms. Cooper told the Beacon. “I’m so proud.”
Ms. Cooper, who hosts a weekly Wednesday evening general knowledge quiz in Bamboushay Restaurant and Lounge in Road Town, praised Virgin Islands firms for supporting her money-raising endeavours over the past decade and a half.
“The secret is having a business sponsor for the quiz,” she said. “The people quizzing put the money in the pot, but then the sponsor matches it. I probably raise about $40,000 a year, but then I do a one-off like I did for hurricane relief a few years back — that was $27,000 in a night. It’s 15 years, so it’s a long time.”
Long-time resident
Ms. Cooper, 71, first visited the VI as a tourist in the 1980s, and she and her husband Stephen Cooper acquired their home here in 1996.
“Irma came, she blew our house away, and we sat there that night and my husband said, ‘We can just disappear anywhere; we can take the animals and just go — or we can rebuild,’” she recalled. “And there was never a discussion, so that told me this is home.”
And Ms. Cooper has no plans to put down her quiz sheet.
“I’d love to raise a million, but I don’t think I’d live that long,” she joked, adding, “If I do get to a million dollars, I’d like a damehood.”
Charity
Financial services company SHRM took over as the current corporate sponsor of the quiz when it returned from its summer break last month.
The charity being supported this season is M.A.L.E. — short for “Monitoring Anointed Leaders Everywhere” — a nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering young males through mentorship, education, workshops, counselling and community engagement.
“They help young adults,” Ms. Cooper said. “They bring boys through the system to get them into adulthood.”
‘Tireless dedication’
As Mr. Pruce recognised Ms. Cooper last Thursday, he said she is an inspiration for the territory.
“Julie has been recognised for her tireless dedication to charitable causes across the Virgin Islands,” he said. “Her creative and spirited fundraising efforts bring people together to support a wide range of worthy causes. Her work exemplifies the Virgin Islands’ community spirit, generosity and compassion.”
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