When Claudia Francis Carignan, the sister of Alfred “Frano” Francis, made her transition in January 2018 in her Atlanta hometown, the Running Events Road Race guru said the family was heartbroken.

However, although now departed from this earthly plane, the family is ensuring that she will forever be remembered for her kind and charitable works.

In celebration of her life and legacy, a scholarship in the amount of $300,000 will be awarded in her name, by Running Events Jamaica, through the CB Group/UWI 5K annual event, which raises funds for promising students who lack the financial resources to pursue their academic studies.

“We have been involved with the noble cause of the CB Group/UWI 5K fund-raiser, since its inception in 2012, and we have seen the impact that it has in changing the lives of many young people who need an opportunity to further their education,” said the Running Events Jamaica (REJ) executive director.

He added that REJ has an ongoing programme of assistance for education and it admires and supports the UWI/CB Group model.

Francis spoke glowingly of his sister, who was an Immaculate Conception High School alumna who later attended the St Leo College in Florida. She moved later to Atlanta where she resided until her death on January 1, 2018.

“Claudia was an amazing and charitable person who was passionate about education and how it affected the lives of young people. She conceptualised the Kare 4 Kids Foundation at Keller Williams Realty, where she worked in Atlanta, and once expressed that she felt privileged to be a part of something bigger than herself, serving the children of her community,” he added.

Francis expressed his own passion for education, which he noted as providing major coping skills manifesting in excellence when coupled with common sense, good social skills and emotional intelligence.

Elizabeth Buchanan-Hind, chair of the CB Group/UWI 5K event, said she was elated at the news of the Claudia Francis Carignan Scholarship, which she described as a wonderful gesture by the Francis family to honour their sibling and the cause of education.

“This scholarship will further enhance our efforts to reach out to the growing number of students hungry for tertiary education and who lack the resources to either register for their course of study or in many cases who have to withdraw due to a lack of funds.”

Buchanan-Hind said that the winner of the Claudia Francis Carignan Scholarship will be announced at the launch of the 2019 CB Group/UWI 5K later this year.