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Sagicor cops civic leadership, social responsibility awards

Published:Sunday | October 22, 2017 | 11:46 AM

Sagicor Foundation has won the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica (AmCham) Award of Excellence for civic leadership, while Sagicor Group Jamaica took second place for corporate social responsibility.

The awards were presented during AmCham's awards banquet last Wednesday at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, New Kingston.

Sagicor Foundation was among five nominees for civic leadership, while Sagicor Group was nominated along with five other companies.

Ingrid Card, executive director of Sagicor Foundation and vice-president, group marketing, Sagicor Group Jamaica, said: "We are honoured and proud to have been recognised by AmCham with these awards."

humbling feeling

She notes how important corporate social responsibility is for Sagicor and how volunteerism forms a major part of the company's culture. "Giving back is a part of our DNA at Sagicor, and it's just a humbling feeling when other organisations recognise you for your efforts," she added.

The Sagicor Foundation has a number of programmes it undertakes annually which are particularly focused on health and education. The Sigma Run, which will celebrate its 20th year in 2018, has raised more than $200 million for numerous health and child-related charities over many years, providing much-needed help for the health sector and some of the country's hospitals.

major initiative

The Sagicor Scholarship programme, which offers five-year scholarships to Grade Six Achievement Test students entering secondary school, as well as tertiary scholarships across seven institutions across the island, is one of the major education initiatives of the foundation.

Sagicor Foundation also runs the Adopt-A-School programme, which focuses primarily on the development of basic schools across the island. The foundation also engages in numerous activities throughout the year for the benefit of youth and national development.

Gail Abrahams, CEO of AmCham, said "the Sagicor Group has consistently demon-strated its commitment to corporate social responsibility, civic leadership and nation-building in its many initiatives that positively impact the wider Jamaican community, touching thousands of lives. We are proud of the Sagicor Group and pledge our continued support in working with them in their drive to create a better Jamaica".