Rotary Club Awards $465,000 in Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Montego Bay East has awarded 22 scholarships valued at approximately $465,000, to secondary and tertiary level students in the parish of St. James.
The presentations were made on Thursday (Nov. 24) at the Sunset Beach Resort and Spa. The awards ranged in value from $5,000 to $100,000 and beneficiaries included students attending high schools, technical/vocational institutions, teachers colleges and the University of the West Indies.
The funds for the scholarships came from proceeds generated by the club’s annual fundraising ‘Bikeathon’.
President of the Club, Lee Bailey, who presented the cheques to the students, urged them to make good use of the support. He expressed appreciation to the sponsors of, and participants in the Bikeathon, adding that it was through their contributions that the granting of the scholarships had become possible.
In his remarks, Regional Director in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture, Vincent Guthrie, pointed out that education was the key to success.
“I want to encourage you to remember that what you become in life is intricately bound up in how you approach life; it is what you think you can achieve. If you think that the sky is the limit, then you need to go for it”, he told the recipients.
Mr. Guthrie further charged the students to give back to the society in order to help the less fortunate.The Rotary Club’s ‘Bikeathon’ is an annual event, which is aimed at raising funds to provide ongoing financial assistance to students.