Six students get five-year secondary school scholarships from VincyCares

Six students have been presented with five-year secondary school scholarships by the VincyCares Organization.{{more}}

At a ceremony Wednesday at the Methodist Church Hall, the six students – Nieasha Richards, Gail Ann Pierre, Omario Sutherland, Giovani Lewis, Tyrica Samuel and Victoria Sutherland – were presented their scholarships, valued at US$500, to be paid annually.

Initially, the organization embarked on the scholarship programme to assist one student from primary to secondary school, but with additional donors coming on board, this year’s scholarship award was expanded.

“Today we are very proud to be awarding six scholarships; three of which are directly from VincyCares. The other three are donor scholarships, which Vincentians in the diaspora have entrusted VincyCares to award and manage on their behalf,” Dahlia Ann Howard-Lewis, local coordinator of the non-profit organization, said.

The three donors are Sara Toyloy, residing in California, Preston and Vanessa Johnson, residing in Holland and Christlyn Mathews-Child, residing in Texas. Mathews-Child’s scholarship was donated in memory of her sister Magdelene Mathews, who died in October 2009.

Nieasha Richards received the Magdelene Mathews scholarship; Gail Ann Pierre, the Sara Toyloy scholarship and Omario Sutherland, the scholarship from Preston and Vanessa Johnson.

Excited about their scholarships, the six students, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, expressed appreciation to the donors and gave assurances that they would continue to excel in their academics.

President of the VincyCares organization, Kenley John, who currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, in a letter to the recipients, said that it is the organization’s hope that each student would in turn be inspired to also give back to their schools and communities and become VincyCares Ambassadors.

Words of encouragement were also given by Reverend Marcelle Braithwaite, who advised the six students to use the opportunities that have been awarded to them to make successes of their lives.

She also informed the students that while education is the key to success, it cannot stand by itself.

“You must have faith. Faith, first of all, in God, the one who created you; the one that made you in his own image, meaning that you have the ability to be all that you can be,” she said.

VincyCares is a non-profit, Facebook based organization, comprising Vincentians residing at home and overseas. The organization has as its goal to provide an avenue whereby all children would be able to attend school on a level playing field, especially when it come to the tools they need to be successful.(AA)