Local water manufacturer Lifespan Spring Water Ltd is tapping into its benefits as a member of the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) by offering an exclusive scholarship to the family of their staff members.

The Drinking Water Research Foundation (DWRF) created the Kristin Safran College Scholarship to honour the memory of former IBWA Board of Directors member Kristin Safran and has made it eligible to members of the association along with their children or grandchildren.

The recipient must be a high school senior (class of 2021) ranked in the top 20th percentile of their class and must plan to attend an accredited undergraduate two-year or four-year college/university. Two outstanding high school senior graduates will be chosen for the scholarship.

Each scholarship will be a total of US$4,000, to be awarded in instalments of US$1,000 per year, over four years.

Nayana Williams, CEO of Lifespan, says she is elated to be able to extend this opportunity to children and grandchildren of the company’s employees.

“Considering the debilitating effects of the pandemic on our economy and on the pocket of many persons, this scholarship comes at an opportune time. We are grateful to the IBWA, and hope that the recipient will be from Jamaica,” Williams said.

All applications are to be submitted to The DWRF by July 31, 2021 and will be reviewed anonymously.

The award recipient will be chosen by vote of a selection committee chaired by Kristin’s husband, Russ Safran. The award winner will be announced on or about September 1, 2021.

The IBWA was founded in 1958 and consists of United States and international bottlers and distributors, which produce and deliver bottled water products, and the suppliers that serve them.

The association serves as the trade association, and is the authoritative source of information about all types of bottled water, including spring, mineral, purified, artesian, and sparkling.

Lifespan is the only Jamaican member of the IBWA. Membership in the IBWA requires a mandatory annual plant inspection by an independent third-party organisation, to ensure the highest quality of the products that bears its seal.