FOR more than a half century, Rowa Pharmaceuticals Ltd has been to the forefront of providing support to second-level education in Bantry and its surrounding communities.
Through the facilitation of students’ individual work experience placements, welcoming business and science class excursions, and the sponsorship of school sports teams, Rowa has provided invaluable assistance to successive generations of young people.
This commitment to assisting students has, in recent years, been epitomised by the allocation of the Matt Kingston Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded annually in memory of the late principal of St Goban’s College.
The managing director of Rowa, Mrs Brigitte Wagner-Halswick, and head of operations, Mr Joe Keane, recently visited Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí to present the school’s first year, U15, U17 and U19 soccer teams with sets of jerseys which have been kindly sponsored by the company.
Mrs Brigitte Wagner-Halswick, managing director of Rowa,
makes a presentation of jerseys for the Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí
soccer teams to Dr Kevin Healy, principal and some of the players.
Having made the presentation to the representatives of the teams, Mrs Wagner-Halswick and Mr Keane were given a tour of the state-of-the art campus, its science and its IT facilities, as well as the PLC nursing studies area and the dedicated special needs unit, by the school principal, Dr Kevin Healy.
Having completed their tour, Mrs Wagner-Halswick and Mr Keane met briefly with Dr Healy and Mrs Wagner-Halswick announced that Rowa would, from 2014 onwards, be increasing the Matt Kingston Memorial Scholarship fund to the generous sum of €3,000.
Mrs Wagner-Halswick said she felt ‘both honoured and privileged to be associated with Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí,’ and that she believed that ‘industry should support future generations in their education.’
Initially, the scholarship alternated annually between the students of Árdscoil Phobail Bheanntrai and St Goban’s College, but it is now presented to the student from Colaiste Pobail Bheanntraí, in receipt of a maintenance grant from Cork County Council, who received the highest CAO points total in the Leaving Certificate examinations.
Since its inception, the scholarship has been pivotal in supporting the academic achievement of young people with current members of staff at both Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí and Rowa among the select group of past recipients.
Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí principal, Dr Healy, said: ‘I would like to extend sincere gratitude to Rowa and especially to Mrs Wagner-Halswick, on behalf of the pupils, parents and staff of Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí.
‘The continued support of our students’ sporting, cultural and academic accomplishments provided by this company is an illustration of Rowa’s commitment to enhancing the lives of young people throughout the community and we are very appreciative of the close links that are being forged between the two organisations’
This story appeared in the printed version of the Southern Star on Thursday, November 7th, 2013 by Jackie Keogh.
