Teeing up for education

Next Saturday, golfers are set to gather at the Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club in Georgia for the fifth annual golf tournament and healthcare awareness event to raise funds to benefit two Jamaican high schools – Morant Bay and Yallahs High.

The golf tournament and healthcare awareness event is being staged by the D. Terrence Foster Foundation, headed by husband-and-wife team Dr D. Terrence Foster and Dr Maxine Foster.

The D. Terrence Foster Foundation, Inc is a federally recognised 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation, established in 2012 with a mission of improving lives through education, healthcare, mentorship and community outreach.

For more than 14 years, the foundation has served communities in the United States, Jamaica and the Caribbean by providing scholarships, supporting healthcare initiatives, partnering with community organisations and responding to humanitarian needs.

Its scholarship programme, established in 2016, continues to help deserving students complete their high school education while promoting leadership, academic excellence and community service, according to its president and founder.

Education remains one of the foundation’s highest priorities, according to Dr D. Terrence Foster.

He said the foundation is proud to be the largest single donor to several educational scholarship initiatives, including:

Morant Bay High School Alumni Association, Atlanta Chapter, Scholarship Program, supporting students at Morant Bay High School, St Thomas, Jamaica;

Yallahs High School Scholarship Fund, St Thomas, Jamaica; and

Jamaican Museum and Cultural Center of Atlanta, serving as a major financial supporter during its formative first five years.

Most recently, according to the founder, the foundation has committed more than J$1 million towards the 2025–2026 Yallahs High School Scholarship Programme, providing scholarships for 15 students while also supporting the school’s athletic and extracurricular programmes.

Other programmes supported by the foundation include the Airy Castle Bridge Programme, through which students who are successful in the Primary Exit Profile examination and earn a place at Morant Bay High School usually receive a scholarship to help with tuition. This is a one-time award for first-form students only.

From 2016 to 2026, 27 students benefited from the programme, with the foundation donating US$5,500.

Under the Yallahs High School Scholarship Programme, the foundation helps students from Grade 8 to Grade 11. These students are typically in the programme for four years.

From 2017 to 2026, 35 students benefited, with the foundation donating US$39,100.

The total value of scholarships given by the foundation is around US$44,600. This does not include its donations to other schools’ scholarship programmes.

Under the leadership of its founder and chairman, Dr D. Terrence Foster; Reverend Dr Maxine Osbourne Foster, president; and the board of directors, the foundation has become recognised for building partnerships that improve educational opportunities, expand healthcare access, mentor future leaders and strengthen communities across geographic and cultural boundaries.

Through annual scholarship programmes, healthcare initiatives, community partnerships, disaster relief, fundraising events and volunteer service, the foundation continues to make a measurable and lasting difference in the lives of thousands of individuals.

Golfers competing in the August 22 tournament can earn a prize of US$50,000 if they make a hole-in-one, as well as US$10,000 in the putting competition.

One of eight children raised by a single mother, Dr D. Terrence Foster was born in Morant Bay, St Thomas, and attended Port Morant Primary School, Yallahs Primary School and Yallahs High School, and later Excelsior Community College.

From there, he went to The University of the West Indies (UWI), where he studied chemistry.

He later received a scholarship to pursue a course in chemistry at the University of New York and subsequently pursued medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr D. Terrence Foster said that, during his formative years, he was sent to live with an aunt in St Thomas as his mother was unable to care for all eight children.

He credited his aunt with having the greatest influence on his life.

Reflecting on his own upbringing, Dr D. Terrence Foster said he was moved to form the foundation in order to streamline the many contributions he had been making to various schools and community organisations.

“I previously randomly contributed and so I decided to form the foundation to make the giving more structured,” he told The Gleaner.

He said all the funds raised from the golf tournament go towards funding the scholarship programmes.

Single players entering the golf tournament will be charged a fee of US$175.

editorial@gleanerjm.com