Mobay City Run Beneficiaries Laud Charity Event’s Organisers

Beneficiaries of scholarships and other forms of academic support funded from the proceeds of the annual MoBay City Run are lauding the organisers’ gesture as a blessing for education in western Jamaica.

Financial assistance totalling approximately $15 million has been extended to students enrolled at the western campuses of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and University of Technology (UTech), among other tertiary institutions, as well as early-childhood facilities across the region since the charity event’s inception in 2014.

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the Agency’s Montego Bay Regional Office on April 20, UWI finance student and scholarship recipient, Trixton Lamey, recounted challenges experienced with tuition funding midway through his course.

“I was holding my own (for) the first couple of years (but, thereafter, realised that I) could go no further and needed some financial assistance. It was then I remembered that (the organisers of) the MoBay City Run (were) offering scholarships. So I applied (and) was so thrilled when I got the call that my application was successful and (that) I would, indeed, get the help that I needed,” he shared.

Mr. Lamey proudly declared that he has benefited significantly from the organisers’ gesture and expressed heartfelt gratitude for their consideration.

“I really want to thank (them) for having something like this in western Jamaica that can change the lives of many young people,” he added.

For his part, medical student, Michael Campbell, who also spoke at the Think Tank, said he had reached a point in his studies where he was unsure how the remainder of his tuition would be financed, and, subsequently, applied for a scholarship.

“I was the happiest of persons when I found out that the organising committee of the MoBay City Run had approved my application,” he stated.

Mr. Campbell said he is hopeful that more corporate entities, particularly across western Jamaica, will support the charity, which he describes as “one of the best things that are happening for education”.

UTech Administrator, Antoinette Smith, said the MoBay City Run, its organisers and outcomes are indicative of “what is right with Jamaica”.

“Each year, it is getting bigger and better, and we are happy to be a part of it. The MoBay City Run is just one of (the many) good things (that are) happening (and) we are very happy to be a part of it and watch it grow. At the end of the day, some of our needy students in the region can have access to funding that will help them further their education,” she added.

The fifth MoBay City Run sprints off from the Old Hospital Park on Gloucester Avenue, Montego Bay, on Sunday, May 6 at 6:00 a.m.

The list of beneficiaries is being expanded this year to include the first ever secondary institution to be selected – Mount Alvernia High School.