Barrett Town Scholarship Program

Help To Impact Lives (HTIL) mission is to make a difference in the lives of impoverished and less fortunate youths through education and soccer.  As part of its mission, HTIL offers two main scholarship awards to students from the community of Barrett Town (in St James, Jamaica): a purely academic scholarship, which is in its 3rd year; the other is a soccer scholarship, which is in its 8th year. The awards are designed to encourage high school students to excel academically and to provide much needed financial assistance to foster their success in high school. (The financial assistance helps to cover key items like text books, school uniforms, school shoes, etc.)

 The Academic Scholarship
[2017-2018 Scholarship Award Recipient - Romique Leslie (Right)]
 
The academic scholarship grants $250 USD each to the 4 top performing students of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) who are getting ready for high school. In addition, HTIL will sustain the existing awardees ($250 USD per awardee).  The short term 5 year goal is to provide financial support for 20 students by 2020 .

For 2018-2019 school year,  the program plans to support 12 students - 4 new high school entrants and 8 existing high school students. The financial target for this is $3000 USD.  (Last year 8 students received the award - including Romique above).  

In addition to the $250 USD stipend, a sub-goal is to provide the awardees with some back to school essentials – bag packs, books, pencils, pens, geometry set, etc). Last year each awardee received a special watch along with the essentials.

The Soccer Scholarship 
[2017-2018 Soccer Scholarship Award Recipient - Ramapolia Kerr (Right)]

The soccer scholarship program which is in its 8th year running, awards 1 student a stipend of $250 USD for excelling in soccer and academics. The aim for 2018-2019 is to provide 2 soccer/athletic scholarships.

Similar to the academic scholarship, the awardee gets some back to school essentials in addition to the $250 USD stipend.

You can help make a difference!
Let me share with you a story of how the help of one person, Mr. David Gordon, made a difference in the life of one boy from that community.

The boy attended Barrett Town Primary School (called Barrett Town All Age at the time), and later went to one of the top boy’s high school in Jamiaca – Cornwall College. He played for the varsity soccer team – where he captained the team his senior year; that same year he won a soccer scholarship to Howard University  in Washington DC. 

In order to realize the scholarship, he had to do a few things including getting a US visa. He applied to the US embassy for his US visa and he got it. But despite getting the visa, he couldn’t afford the plane ticket. Three days before he had to report to school or risk losing his scholarship. A fan of his varsity soccer team - David Gordon - bought him a one way ticket on American Airline. That ticket became his ticket out of poverty. That boy … was me.  

Mr Gordon’s generosity is part of my impetus for this organization. Moreover, it is often said that only when you have walked in others shoes can you really understand their experience. I have walked in the shoes of the underprivileged: Ironically, often times while in high school, I could only afford to “walk” in one pair of shoes per school year; this same pair of shoes I would wear to church, parties, and sometimes I even played soccer in them (albeit unbeknown to my mom).  At home, I often went barefooted and played soccer barefooted. I went to school sometimes without lunch, and sometimes without the requisite textbooks.

I was told that education was the key. I did the best I could with what I had. I focused on my education and married it with soccer, which eventually afforded me the soccer scholarship.  From my experience, I know that even when a student has potential - like I did; has high hopes for the future - like I did; has opportunities - like I did (with the scholarship), sometimes a student needs help for his/her hopes and opportunities to be realized.  

I invite you to help make a difference in the life of a student - be a “David” that facilitates the realization of a promising future.  Your generosity today can leave a lasting legacy for tomorrow; and ultimately this help may encourage at least one student to pay it forward someday.

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Help To Impact Lives (HTIL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization: 
* All donations are tax deductible.

For more about Help To Impact Lives, visit: 
Website: www.htil.org 
Facebook:  Facebook.com/HelpToImpactLives