Rainforest invests $10m in education support
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Primary, secondary and tertiary students, all children of Rainforest employees, pose for a photograph after receiving certificates during an awards presentation at Rainforest’s headquarters in Montego Bay on Tuesday.
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PEP awardee Camilleah Clare accepts her certificate from Benjamin Jardim, business development manager at Rainforest Caribbean.
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General Manager of Rainforest Caribbean Jerome Miles (right) presents a certificate to Kyla Crawford, who is pursuing studies in dentistry in Cuba.
WESTERN BUREAU:
Rainforest Caribbean is investing some $10 million in scholarships and education assistance this year, as the regional company continues to help employees and their children meet the rising cost of education.
Sixty-five children of employees, from primary through high school to the tertiary level, were recognised at the company’s Montego Freeport headquarters on Tuesday after achieving academic averages of 70 per cent or higher.
General Manager Gerald Miles said the awards presented to the children represent only part of Rainforest’s education investment, which also includes scholarships for employees pursuing higher education and bursaries for students who may not be among the top academic performers but require financial assistance.
“What you see here is only part of our contribution to scholarships,” Miles told The Gleaner.
That emphasis on developing young people was reinforced by the choice of guest speaker Clive Harris, who joined Rainforest Caribbean at age 26 and has since risen to become the company’s group technical manager, with responsibility for technical and food-safety leadership across its operations.
Harris told the awardees that Tuesday’s scholarships should be viewed not simply as financial assistance, but as an investment in their potential.
“Today is not just us awarding you money; it’s an investment. It’s somebody saying to you that we see something in you that’s worth investing in,” he said.
He urged the students to make use of the resources available to them, particularly the Internet, not merely for entertainment but to learn skills, identify opportunities and broaden their knowledge.
“Use it to change your life. Learn a skill, find opportunities, read, ask questions, and follow persons who inspire you,” Harris told them.
Harris also challenged the awardees to eventually become the ones providing opportunities for others.
“Sitting amongst you here today are tomorrow’s doctors, engineers, lawyers, CEOs, and even scholarship donors,” he said, expressing the hope that some would one day “reach back and help someone else climb”.
Miles pointed out that the increasing cost of providing children with a quality education was also placing greater pressure on working parents.
“We also provide a help for members of staff who struggle at times to meet the cost of education, and that cost, if you want to provide quality education to your children, is getting higher and higher,” Miles said.
“So, we try to do what we can to assist.”
janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com