FHC satisfied with exposure for sponsoring ‘Scholarships to Go’
RETURNING SPONSOR of The Gleaner’s ‘Scholarships To Go’ feature, First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union Limited (FHC), which is also a provider of scholarships to needy students, has expressed satisfaction with the exposure it has received by being a sponsor of the popular publication.
FHC Credit Union is also satisfied that it has been able to make a difference in the lives of Jamaicans who are striving to achieve their goals.
Juven Montague-Anderson, AGM-Marketing, Communications and Member Experience, told The Gleaner that she sees the credit union’s involvement with ‘Scholarships to Go’ as not just providing assistance by way of bursaries and scholarships, but as a way of bringing awareness to what FHC does.
“At FHC Credit Union, we believe in maximising on awareness of our products and services. As such, for the past three years, we consider ‘Scholarships to Go’as a channel through which we could showcase our sought-after scholarships. We believe this has been rewarding as individuals will call us to say they saw our scholarships in the paper. They also enquire about how they could benefit for themselves and for their children,” said MontagueA nderson.
The senior manager said that FHC currently offers three types of scholarships – GSAT, the Oswald Thorbourne and the Renald Mason scholarships, which are awarded to tertiary level students.
IMPORTANT ROLE
Montague-Anderson described scholarships as being an important part of the country’s education system. “We see and know that there are young Jamaicans who are smart, resilient, high achievers and motivated individuals but are unable to finance their dreams of becoming productive citizens. So yes, scholarships are needed to help these unfortunate individuals who have the desire to make a change and become working professionals,” Montague Anderson stated.
She is encouraging other corporate entities and individuals that can, to also provide scholarships to needy Jamaicans. This, she noted would give individuals seeking scholarships more options from which to choose.
Montague-Anderson reiterated that FHC’s most rewarding experience since being a sponsor has been the exposure that the credit union has received, which she has described as phenomenal. “The sponsorship has great reach, thus more applicants become aware of the opportunities we offer,” she said.
Montague-Anderson revealed that FHC currently spends approximately $2.3 million on scholarships each year. The money is drawn from the FHC Foundation. Recipients are usually members of the credit union or children of members as well as from its Youth Savings Programme.
The senior manager explained that scholarship recipients are selected based on their financial needs and academic performance. Scholarships and bursaries are awarded to primary, secondary, and tertiary students.
‘At FHC Credit Union, we believe in maximising on awareness of our products and services. As such, for the past three years, we consider ‘Scholarships to Go’ as a channel through which we could showcase our soughtafter scholarships.’