Thirty Jamaican high schools and tertiary institutions will benefit from a contribution of $4.2 million from the FLOW Foundation to fund their trip to the upcoming Penn Relays 2018. This marks the 26th consecutive year that the telecommunications firm has provided funding for what promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of the promising Jamaican athletes who will represent both their schools and Jamaica.
Speaking at a brief presentation ceremony held recently at FLOW's corporate office, Errol Miller, executive chairman of FLOW Foundation, shared that outside of athletics, the company was pleased to be able to contribute to the students' academic exploits and the future opportunities often gained by Jamaican athletes while participating in the prestigious games.
"It is indeed a fantastic opportunity for the students, both in terms of their athletic development as well as the amazing doors that open in terms of scholarships and the opportunities to be recruited by overseas colleges. It is absolutely our pleasure to be able to contribute to this process and we look forward to outstanding results," Miller shared.
This year, the secondary schools benefiting from this FLOW initiative include:
Ardenne High School, Bellefield High School, Bridgeport High School, Calabar High School, Edwin Allen High School, Excelsior High School, Greater Portmore High School, Green Island High School, St Catherine High School, Kingston College, St Jago High School, Jamaica College, Holmwood Technical High School, Spalding High School, Manchester High School, Cornwall College, Munro College, Immaculate Conception High School, Herbert Morrison Technical High School, Papine High School, Hydel High School, Ruseas High School, Tacious Golding High School, Petersfield High School and St Elizabeth Technical High School.
The tertiary institutions receiving grants are The Mico University College, University of Technology, G.C. Foster College and the University of the West Indies.
Michael Dyke, head coach at Edwin Allen High School, delivered remarks at the ceremony saying, "We are extremely grateful to FLOW each year for the ongoing assistance that they continue to provide for us. Before, it used to be extremely difficult to secure funding to allow the students to participate. Each year, the contribution continues to grow, allowing us to add more students."
Miller further commended organisations like Team Jamaica Bickle and other corporate sponsors who subsidise the travel and accommodation expenses for the teams.
FLOW provided its new Travel Pass Roaming Plan to each team attending the relays to facilitate communication while in the United States.
The 124th Penn Relays was held from April 26-28 at the University of Pennsylvania.
