Nigerian CommunicationWeek

Parents, Students Extol Red Star Express Scholarship Programme

L-r: Victor Ukwat, DGM Sales, (Mrs.) Amaka Okeke, Adebayo Temitope Red Star scholar and Sola Obabori, COO Red Star Logistics during the fund presentation ceremony held in honour of recipients of the scholarship award in Lagos recently.

Mrs Margret Charles, a mother to one of the beneficiaries of the Red Star Express Foundation scholarship award, has expressed appreciation for the Corporate Social Responsibility of the logistics company to its immediate community.

She spoke at the fund presentation ceremony held in honour of recipients of the scholarship award in Lagos recently.

Speaking on behalf of the other parents, Mrs Charles said, “Red Star Express through this scholarship program has not only changed the story of our children but that of the parents as well. The program has helped our children to believe more in their ability; that they can be anything they want to become through hard work and dedication. My son Charles now believes so much in himself and is not afraid of competition.”

The excited mother, whose son, Victor Charles was 2013 one-day chairman as a result of winning the Local Government annual Spelling Bee, attributed her son’s recent academic performance to Red Star Foundation Scholarship.

According to her, “ever since my son won the scholarship, he has continued to win one competition after another, including the spelling bee for Local Government. It is not about the money, which I consider the least of the benefits, it is the confidence and motivation it gives to our children. It has brought the best out of them because they know that they cannot afford to disappoint their sponsors”

Mr Muyiwa Olumekun, executive director of Red Star Express, spent some time listening to the students talk about their dreams and aspirations in life, commending them for their exceptional academic excellence urged them to always remember that they are the future.

He added, “The path to greatness is not easy, sometimes it’s rough. You must remain determined and passionate about your dreams. Passion and hard work will keep you on the track. That is why world champions don’t give-up on winning even when they have made so much money; they keep winning because they have passion for what they do.”

Olumekun also restated the commitment of Red Star Express to remain true to its promises.

“As a company, we believe in giving back to our host community and the larger society. The Red Star Foundation is one the platforms through which we express our corporate social responsibility and we are excited that our little effort is having positive impact on the lives of young people.”

The company also re-introduced the Red Star Scholarship mentor-mentee relationship by appointing some of its key managers to mentor each of the awardees.

“We believe that as young people, these students need a lot of guidance outside their teachers and parents. We are happy that some of our key managers have graciously volunteered to build mentorship relationships with these young people to help nurture them in every way possible as they make their ways to greatness.”

One of the awardees, Miss Joy James of Mafoluku Grammar School, a science student who wants to become a Gynaecologist, spoke on behalf of the students. She said, “Thank you Red Star Express for being so supportive of our dreams and ambitions. Your contribution has really gone a long way to ease the burden on our parents and we are also motivated to give our very best.”

The Red Star Express established the Foundation in 2004 with the objectives of expressing its social responsibility to the host communities; leveraging on its corporate goodwill, demonstrating its core value for the benefit of the society and encouraging excellence, diligence and integrity among secondary school students. Red Star Express appropriates 0.5 per cent of its profit after tax towards the running of the “Red Star Foundation annually”.

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