Massy Distribution awards $600,000 in bursaries

MASSY DISTRIBUTION has awarded $600,000 worth of bursaries to Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students who are heading to high school in September.

On Monday, July 17, the handover of this year’s bursaries was complemented with an excursion to Palace Cineplex at Sovereign Centre where the children were fêted to a private screening of the movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Ten pupils from the Balmagie Primary School, 11 from St Patrick’s Primary School and nine pupils who are the children of Massy Distribution’s staff members were the beneficiaries of Massy baskets, bursary cheques and a movie outing.

Speaking about the year’s handover and treat, Massy Distribution’s CEO Janine Chen said, “Coming out of school and the stress and the intensity of PEP, I think it was so appropriate in its format for the celebration of them and their achievements. This initiative for me was just fantastic from several perspectives. We were engaging with more children than we normally would, it was twice the number of awardees. I am very proud of that because we would have had relationships with St Patrick’s and Balmagie for many years and, of course, every year we include our staff members’ children.”

Chen also added that she is looking forward to delving deeper and going beyond the handover of grants and following the children’s journey through high school.

Among the recipients of the grant was Omari Walker of St Patrick’s Primary School, who will be attending Kingston College. His mother, Veniah Henry, expressed gratitude and said the funding will be used to cover school items such as stationery and physical education gear.

Commenting on the treat, Henry said the outing gave her son, like the other awardees, “the chance to feel appreciated for their hard work. I can’t put into words the burden that was lifted off us as parents receiving this cheque. Massy is a big help to our children, our school, and by extension, the community.”

For over 21 years, the company has consistently supported students of the Balmagie and St Patrick’s primary schools located in the Waterhouse community in Kingston. The inaugural outreach started in the early 2000s, and so far, more than 400 students have benefitted from the bursaries which fully cover their secondary school contribution fees, as a form of assistance that has become a valued lifeline for promising young scholars and their parents.