GraceKennedy

Joe Taffe, Acting CEO of GraceKennedy Investments, urged beneficiaries of the 2008 Carlton Alexander Bursary Awards to emulate the performance of Jamaica’s high performing Olympic team members as they pursued their studies in the upcoming academic year. He noted that the Jamaican Olympic team had demonstrated what was possible with application, determination, hard work and the will to succeed. “Our athletes showed the world what can be achieved through hard work, discipline, determination and heart,” Mr Taffe said.

Seventeen bursaries were awarded for the 2008 academic year with awards being made to children of employees across 10 companies of the GraceKennedy group.  Of the 17, 4 represented new awards to students who had performed outstandingly in their GSAT examinations and were entering high school and 3 represented. The rest were renewals for students both the secondary and tertiary levels. 

In Support of Furthering Educational Goals - Professor Elsa Leo-Rhynie (right), GraceKennedy Foundation’s Chairman, congratulates Dario Wilson on being awarded a Carlton Alexander Bursary Award at a ceremony held recently at GraceKennedy’s headquarters at 73 Harbour Street. Dario is one of 17 children of GraceKennedy Group employees awarded Carlton Alexander Bursaries for the 2008/2009 academic year. With him is his mother, Marlene Wilson, an employee of GraceKennedy Ltd. The Carlton Alexander Bursaries assists GraceKennedy employees with education-related expenses for family members attending secondary and tertiary level institutions. The awards, which are performance-based, are intended to encourage parents to motivate their children to perform at the highest standards. The programme is administered by the GraceKennedy Foundation.

Chairman of the GraceKennedy Foundation, Professor Elsa Leo-Rhynie congratulated awardees on their performance but reminded them that the bursaries were for one academic year only and renewal for the ensuing years would be based on their performance in this academic year.   She noted that the bursaries were introduced 19 years ago in honour of GraceKennedy’s late chairman Carlton Alexander as a means of encouraging academic excellence among the children of GraceKennedy staff and that they represented the celebration of excellence as Carlton Alexander was one of the most outstanding leaders of his time and who contributed not only to the development of GraceKennedy but also the nation.

Former Kingston College student Danielle Gillings who moved the vote of thanks on behalf of the awardees thanked the Foundation for its encouragement and for the assistance given towards their educational development.