History of the Grace Scholarship Fund
The Thomas E. Laing Sr. Scholarship is offered through the Grace Scholarship Fund. The Grace Scholarship Fund was founded in 2013 to provide academic scholarships, service opportunities and leadership experiences for young Jamaican students of outstanding promise.
The fund provides scholarship winners with the financial assistance to help them attend some of the finest colleges and universities both domestically and abroad. Our hope is that recipients will go on to achieve exemplary success in the classrooms and in their chosen fields of expertise and make Jamaica proud.
About Thomas E. Laing Sr.
Thomas E. Laing, Sr. was born January 14, 1948 in St. Andrew, Jamaica. He attended both Bull Bay Primary and Auto Body Trade school in Jamaica. In November of 1974, he migrated with his wife Eileen Laing to the United States. Thomas worked as an Auto Body Technician for various dealerships for over 40 years.
His last place of employment was Liberty Auto City (Libertyville, IL), where he worked for 19 years. Thomas hosted the Jamaican Independence celebrations for over 30 years and founded the Jamaican Soccer Team, XAYMACA, in Lake County, IL. He received the Leadership Award for Sports for Dedicated Service and Commitment by the Jamaican Consul in 2002.
Thomas cherished his family, which consisted of 7 children, 16 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. Thomas passed away on October 24, 2014 from pancreatic cancer. The Thomas E. Laing Sr. Scholarship is contributed by the Laing Family in his honor (sourced from the gracefund.org).
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants of the Thomas E. Laing Sr. Scholarship must meet the following specifications:
- Must be a Jamaican national
- Must be currently enrolled as a full-time student at the Jamaican-German Automotive School in Jamaica or planning to be enrolled in the next 6 months
- Must be in financial need / must have experienced financial hardship in your life
- Must attend in person scholarship reception
Scholarship Conditions
The Thomas E. Laing Sr. Scholarship may be used for funding related to current enrollment by the student at the Jamaican-German Automotive School in Jamaica or planning to be enrolled in the next 6 months. Students may use the scholarship funds to help cover the costs of tuition, fees, books, room and board, computers, health insurance, study abroad and other college related expenses. The amount of the Thomas E. Laing Sr. Scholarship is for $500USD.
Scholarship Value US$500
Application Deadline – June 15th annually
No exceptions. All eligible applications are due by 11:59pm EST.
Data Privacy
The Grace Scholarship Fund is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the application information data that you provide to us. The Grace Scholarship Fund understands and acknowledges that you have reposed trust in us to protect the confidentiality and security of all the information and data.
The Grace Scholarship Fund will not use your information and data for purposes other than this specific application review. The Grace Scholarship Fund will not sell, or otherwise disseminate or make available to third parties the information and data that you provide, in whole or in part.
The Grace Scholarship Fund will restrict access to the information and data that you provide to those persons who will evaluate your information and data for purposes of determining your eligibility for, and making awards of, the financial assistance that The Grace Scholarship Fund provides. If you win a scholarship, you may be asked to feature language from your application for the use of GraceFund newsletters.
SEND COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO: info@gracefund.org and include a copy of your high school transcript. If applicable, please also provide proof of enrollment at your college or university.
