Olympic 110m hurdles champion Hansle Parchment, who is one of the patrons of the 2022 Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run, has pledged to donate $650,000 to his alma mater Morant Bay High School courtesy of the Sagicor Foundation.

Parchment had the opportunity to select a charity to which the Sagicor Foundation will make the donation on his behalf for his voluntary contributions to its 24th staging of the charity road race Sigma Run. Co-patron Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper will also select a philanthropic venture for a similar donation by the foundation.

Parchment said he chose the Morant Bay High School as his charity because the institution has contributed significantly to his educational and athletic development.

“Morant Bay High is very close to my heart, because the school helped to mold me into the man I am today, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to pay it forward, thanks to the Sagicor Foundation,” Parchment said.

“I would like the donation to go towards developing the school’s sports programme, particularly track and field, so that more students will be able to benefit like I did.”

Parchment suggested that the funds be used by the school to create or strengthen a programme that provides academic support for student athletes.

“It is very important for us to not only train great athletes, but to ensure that they receive holistic educational development, so that whether or not they become successful in sports, they have bright futures ahead of them,” he said.

“That balance between academics and athletics is very important, and something I am very passionate about.”

The Olympian shared that he had fond memories as a student at Morant Bay High School, particularly on sports days, which were always very exciting. He spoke to the importance of contributing to the school’s legacy as an alumnus.

“I also benefitted from the generosity of past students before me while I was a student at the school, for which I am most grateful,” he said.

Along with Tapper, Parchment has been using his platform to promote the Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run, which is aiming to raise $50 million for the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) this year.

Alysia White, executive director of the Sagicor Foundation, thanked Parchment and Tapper for being this year’s race patrons, and said the foundation is looking forward to partnering with them for their individual charitable initiatives.

“Hansle and Megan have both done a tremendous job as our Sigma Run patrons for 2022, and they have both brought their unique positive energies to the team since they came on board last year. Sagicor Foundation is very excited to partner with them further with their own charitable initiatives, as our way of saying thanks for their time and effort,” White said.