Grateful parents and ambitious students gathered last Saturday as the Each One Reach One Foundation awarded 50 scholarships to students transitioning from primary to secondary school and from high school to tertiary institutions.Founded in August Town by finance executive Avril Scarlett, the organisation has awarded $36 million in scholarships since its launch in 2019. Scarlett described herself as the daughter of “a man with money”, while her mother was a “dirt-poor” native of August Town, explaining how education helped bridge those two worlds.“Education became a bridge between both worlds for me. It opened doors and windows. I watched others fall by the wayside, becoming teenage mothers, gunmen, some more brilliant than I was but only needed a bit of help,” Scarlett told the gathering at JAMPRO’s Trafalgar Road offices in St Andrew.The foundation began by awarding 10 scholarships in 2019 and has since expanded its support to include backpacks, tablets, and laptops.“We started with 10 scholarships in 2019, giving away hundreds in the seven years since, plus stocked backpacks, tablets and laptops, thanks mainly to one of our donors, McKay Security, who has been with us from day one,” said Scarlett, thanking the company for its $400,000 contribution to the foundation’s 2026 scholarship programme.Students from August Town featured prominently among this year’s recipients. Twelve scholarship awardees are headed to tertiary institutions, with the top five receiving bursaries of $150,000 each and the remaining recipients receiving $100,000.The top-performing tertiary-bound student and the leading primary-school graduate entering high school were each awarded laptops for essays submitted as part of the scholarship process.Tye McKay of McKay Security presented the company’s $400,000 contribution and encouraged recipients to make full use of the opportunities provided.“McKay Security might be renowned for its sporting ventures with young people participating in football, tae kwon do and dragon-boat racing, but we have been partnering with the Each One Reach One Foundation since its beginning,” McKay noted.Damien Williams, a director of the foundation, reminded students and parents that education extends beyond academic achievement.“Quality education is not just about being in the classroom. Education is everything that makes us a little more human, understanding that we can’t stand on our own. We need each other. I, too, am a beneficiary and a success because someone gave me a chance, which I have passed on by being a teacher for many years,” said Williams.