Jamaican charity delivers scholarships despite pandemic impacts

The Harris Family Vision Foundation Inc is a not-for-profit charity organization run by Jamaican-born United States nationals. It has evolved over the years and now boasts a chapter in Jamaica.

Every year the group shares its benevolence, but in the last couple of years such acts of goodwill has been thwarted largely by measures imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19.

All fundraising events had to be canceled. However, thanks to some of its donors the group manage to touch lives in a meaningful.

“Although we had the pandemic we were able to give out four scholarships in Jamaica, which is the Beverley Binns Memorial Scholarship,” said Michael Harris, president of the charitable body.

Outside of the grants issued, Harris said the organization still manage to stretch its meager resources to a few individuals in need.

One of the recipients is currently pursuing higher education at a top local tertiary institution in Jamaica and will continue to receive support from the foundation until the completion of their course of study.

This is a change in its strategy Harris noted as previous support would come in the form of a one-off grant.

“We want to be able to bring them to the end, so at least we know they are successful,” he told Harbour News after pledging support for the Spring of Hope programme, a values and attitudes initiative being implemented by Justice of the Peace Audrey Maragh-Fuller targeting students at the Spring Gardens Primary School.

Patrick Binns, widower of the late Beverley Binns, said the partnership with the Harris Family Vision Foundation has mushroomed into a dynamic team.

“We have done what we have promised and decided to do and if God guide and protect us, we will continue. The future right now doesn’t look like its stopping us, so we are going on, we are processing and we are going to help as long as we can and as much as we can,” Binns said.