Sun | Jun 16, 2024

Sagicor pledges $11.5m to JTA/Sagicor Primary Champs

Published:Saturday | May 25, 2024 | 12:12 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
From left: Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Liaison Officer Colin Spence; Chief Revenue Officer of Insurance, Sagicor Life Jamaica and Director at Sagicor Foundation, Mark Chisholm; World Under-20 sprint relay record holders and newly minted brand am
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From left: Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) Liaison Officer Colin Spence; Chief Revenue Officer of Insurance, Sagicor Life Jamaica and Director at Sagicor Foundation, Mark Chisholm; World Under-20 sprint relay record holders and newly minted brand ambassadors for the upcoming meet, Tia, and Tina Clayton; President of the Jamaica Teacher’s Association Leighton Johnson and JTA Sports Committee Chairman Kemar Bailey pause for a photograph with the spsonsorship cheque. Sagicor has pledged $11.5 million to the JTA/Sagicor Primary School Championships.

The Sagicor Foundation has pledged $11.5 million towards this year’s staging of the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA)/Sagicor National Primary School Athletics Championships alongside scholarships for the champion boy and girl from the track meet.

Mark Chisholm, Sagicor’s chief revenue officer, made the announcement during the media launch of the national championships yesterday.

Chisholm said the sponsorship sum is a sign of Sagicor’s commitment to the development of young student athletes in Jamaica.

“Supporting the JTA/Sagicor National Athletics Championships aligns with the foundation’s mission of positively impact the lives of children and youth in Jamaica,” he said. “As such, we have increased our sponsorship this year to $11.5m and will continue to provide five-year scholarships valued at $50,000 to the overall Champion Girl and Champion Boy awardees.

“Investing in our children is an investment in Jamaica and with this commitment, we aim to impact the lives of these children in a positive way,” Chisholm said.

Sagicor’s sponsorship will also cover the selected students’ tertiary education should they choose to pursue such route. These sponsorships are valued at $300,000 per annum for the students.

Chisholm said these commitments are in line with Sagicor’s mission statement of improving the members of its community and their dedication to the future of Jamaica.

“It is extremely important and a part of the Sagicor mission statement to improve the lives of the communities in which we operate,” he said. “Children are a core part of the things that Sagicor does. We are the only company that has a child insurance product and those are the main reasons why this event is very important for us. But not only that, but nation building is a big part of Sagicor branding and a big part of our corporate social responsibility,” Chisholm added.

Leighton Johnson, president of the JTA, welcomed the partnership with Sagicor and said their continued sponsorship of the annual national championships is very important to the track meet’s staging.

“The partnership with the Sagicor Foundation has been symbiotic. The JTA/Sagicor National Athletics Championships has been a staple event for many years and the Sagicor Foundation, the title sponsor, enables this to happen. Everyone has to start somewhere, and we pride ourselves on providing opportunities for our stakeholders.

“It is not all about academics. Students have talents that can elevate them and it all starts here at championships. We are excited to see what will take place for this year’s staging,” Johnson said.

The JTA/Sagicor National Primary School Athletics Championships will be held June 7 and June 8 at the National Stadium.