Foundation Awards Over J$7M in Scholarships to Transform the Lives of Over 100 Students

Sixteen (16) students drawn from some of the country’s top universities were named among this year’s JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation scholarship recipients during a recent award ceremony, which took place at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel. For the 2017/18 academic year the Foundation awarded approximately J$7 million in scholarships to over 100 students attending primary, secondary and tertiary institutions as well as special needs schools.

While speaking at the award ceremony Chairman of the Foundation, Patricia Sutherland shared that the scholarship provided is more than a financial contribution. It is instead an investment in the country’s youth and an opportunity to help to transform the lives of each recipient. She further encouraged the recipients to be possibility thinkers and change makers of today, noting that they should consider that they are not going to school to prepare them to get a job but to enable them to create the life that they want.  

Sutherland stated, “When you step on that campus, depending on what you choose, you can merely see classes and exams, or you can see a wider and bigger world, an expansion of your community and therefore an expansion of your opportunities and possibilities.” In closing, she also challenged the recipients to pay it forward and to seize the opportunity to make a difference in their communities and sphere of influence.

Holistic Development

In keeping with JMMB Group’s vision of love and commitment to the holistic development of individuals, the Foundation, engages all recipients in a five-hour long transformational leadership session led by a trained facilitator, in addition to the financial support provided. This transformational training workshop is extended to all recipients of funding from the Foundation and explores: self-awareness; reflection; paradigm-shifting; critical-thinking; and visioning, among other areas.   It is designed to assist individuals to develop and apply common practices to support their mindset and behavior change enabling a more powerful and positive life experience.

In keeping with its mandate to support the manifestation of greatness in all who we interact with Kim Mair, CEO of the Foundation recognizes that transformation must happen at all stages in the life of our youth if we are going to create the growth we need and stem violence in our country. Therefore in addition to tertiary level support, the Foundation has maintained its support for children at the primary and secondary level.  In these cases we support the parents with our transformational conversation so that they can be the best parent to their children. She adds, “As we balance support for individuals at the earlier stages of the education system we want to ensure that a wider cross-section of our youth can maximize their potential and in turn make a positive contribution to the society.”

Lisa Morrison, 2017/18 scholarship recipient and first year Medical Sciences student at UWI, Mona in expressing her gratitude for the scholarship said, “(Co-founder of JMMB, Joan Duncan’s) story has inspired me as she conquered the odds against her and completed her personal mission….This​ ​philanthropic​ ​arm​ ​of​ ​JMMB​ ​has​ ​allowed​ ​many​ ​Jamaicans​ ​to​ ​strive​ ​for​ ​greatness​ ​and impact​ ​their​ ​lives​ ​and​ ​the​ ​lives​ ​of​ ​their​ ​community,​ ​not​ ​only​ ​through​ ​financial​ ​support​ ​but​ ​through transformational​ ​training​ ​which​ ​I​ ​am​ ​looking​ ​forward​ ​to.​ ​Therefore,​ ​I​ ​am​ ​grateful​ ​not​ ​only​ ​for​ ​what this​ ​Foundation​ ​has​ ​done​ ​for​ ​me​ ​but​ ​for​ ​the​ ​leaders​ ​it​ ​has​ ​created​ ​in​ ​our​ ​country.”

The scholarship and/or bursary will cover the cost of tuition, books and/or other school-related expenses.

The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation offers scholarships to individuals who are financially challenged, well-rounded, as evidenced by their involvement in extra-curricular activities or voluntary work done in their schools/communities, and satisfactory academic performance.

As a signal of its commitment to education and investment in the local talent pool, the Foundation continues to increase its financial contribution in scholarships and bursaries annually. In addition, last year, the JMMB Group through its Foundation established a US$1 million endowment at UWI in response to the university’s call for funding towards research, teaching and to drive regional development. Sixty-five percent (65%) of this endowment has been allocated toward scholarships in perpetuity at that institution so that the Caribbean region can continue to engender rich talent, innovation and business acumen among its population.