Christopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
When the ninth staging of the annual Jill Stewart MoBay City Run (JSMCR) 10K and 5K walk/run kicks off on Sunday, May 4, Chris-Shana Gallimore, one of the scholarship recipients tied to the event, will be on hand to assist the organisers.
Gallimore, a third-year student at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in St James, is currently benefitting from a tertiary education scholarship offered through the event. She is on track to become a trained school counsellor.
“This is my first time receiving this scholarship, and it has already made a profound impact on my life. To know that my chosen field is being acknowledged and supported in this way gives me a greater sense of purpose and motivation to make a difference,” Gallimore said while speaking at the launch of this year’s JSMCR at Sandals Montego Bay Hotel on Monday.
The 19-year-old, a native of Duncans, Trelawny, explained that prior to receiving the JSMCR scholarship, she struggled to balance her academic workload with the financial strain of daily commutes to school.
“For a long time, I faced the difficulty of living far from school, which made commuting exhausting and sometimes overwhelming. But thanks to this scholarship, I’ve been able to live on campus, allowing me to attend classes consistently, dedicate more time to my studies, and complete assignments without the added stress of long-distance travel,” Gallimore shared.
“What makes this scholarship even more meaningful to me is that it recognises and values guidance counsellors, not just academic teachers, as most scholarships do. This recognition means the world to me because it highlights the importance of mental health, emotional well-being, and the role that school counsellors play in shaping students’ lives,” she added.
In addition to pursuing a degree in school counselling, Gallimore has also become a volunteer for the JSMCR, helping the planning committee with promoting sporting events leading up to the May 4 staging.
“I am committed to doing whatever the JSMCR committee asks of me because this is my way of showing my gratitude. I plan to remain in Jamaica, which not many teachers do, because I believe in giving back to the community that has shaped me,” Gallimore said.
The JSMCR, now in its ninth year, was formerly known as the MoBay City Run before being renamed in 2024. The renaming honours Jill Stewart, the late wife of Sandals Resorts International’s executive chairman Adam Stewart, who was a long-time supporter of the walk/run before her death from cancer in 2023.
Since its inception in 2013, the JSMCR has provided $33.5 million in scholarships to approximately 4,000 tertiary-level students across western Jamaica.
