The Jill Stewart MoBay City Run organisers expect to double the scholarship money to $7 million thanks to increased sponsorship of the event set for Sunday, May 5.

The event, a staple on the running calendar, was renamed this year in honour of late philanthropist Jill Stewart.

Jill was the wife of ATL Industrial Group Executive Chairman Adam Stewart. She used the MoBay City Run (MBCR), of which she was a key and keen supporter, as a platform to raise awareness for the importance of education, and health and wellness. She was also a stalwart in the development of Montego Bay.

“My wife believed in bringing people together through sport,” Stewart said at the event’s launch last month. “She was a trained educator, and if you married sport with education, that was the foremost achievement that she could want in this life. To have this run named in her honour is probably the most humbling of anything I have endured.”

Jill, who succumbed to cancer in July last year, won the 10K section of the MBCR on multiple occasions since its origin in 2013. The Jill Stewart Sports Scholarship was also launched in her honour last year.

The event’s chief organiser, Janet Silvera, remembers Jill as more than just a runner.

“She was a beacon of hope, a source of inspiration, and a symbol of everything that MoBay City Run stands for,” Silvera said at the launch. “Amidst this remarkable journey, there was one individual whose presence shone brightly, illuminating the path with her infectious spirit and unwavering dedication.

“Jill Stewart, a beloved participant in our race and a fervent supporter of our cause, embodied the very essence of kindness and selflessness. Her love for running was matched only by her genuine desire to uplift others.”

The Jill Stewart MoBay City Run will be a 5K and 10K race/walk starting and finishing at the ‘Old Hospital Park’ on the Hip Strip.

Silvera told the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday they donated $3.5 million to needy students last year.

“This is our seventh staging and we have attracted a number of new sponsors and we hope to be able to help a lot more students,” she said. “We have added a few new sponsors including JetBlue, GraceKennedy, and VIP Attractions, and we are also talking to a few others.”

Silvera says they had raised $26.5 million since the first event and that the increase they hope for could materialise.

“With the type of sponsorship we have been attracting, we will be able to achieve this because companies who have come on-board all want to be presenting sponsors, but we have one presenting sponsor which is Wata,” she said.

Silvera says Wata will provide hydration for the runners and a sprinkler at the end of the race, while VIP Attractions will be sponsoring 4,000 redesigned medals that will be handed out to the competitors.

Silvera says JetBlue will award the top finishers with coupons while Digicel will be giving away phones, and GraceKennedy plans to distribute its brand Mighty Malt at the event.