CHASE’S Academic Foundation, has, especially within the past three years, become known for its achievements in Sports, just as it has continued to churn out some of the most gifted academic minds in Guyana.

The school has built a dynasty based primarily on the ideologies of its Principal and owner Henry Chase; a man who considers himself a visionary, but more so, a man who is tired of the way our top athletes in the school system are treated.

“I believe each individual has a gift from God, and God puts certain things inside of us that would be unique. For instance, the things that I do have a lot of bearing on my childhood days. There were a lot of people who were generous to me. My mom died when I was 14, my father died when I was 17, so I practically grew up alone with the help of some family members and other people,” Chase told the Guyana Chronicle in a recent sit-down.

With a revelation he believes that comes from God, Chase brought together 44 students, gifted in different areas in Sports, and offered them full scholarships to his institution, which is one of the top private schools in Guyana.  Annually, it costs Chase $7.92 million; a cost which excludes payment for some of the students’ Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) fees for his impoverished athletes and providing transportation and meals.

“This is money I could use behind my children, it’s not something I can afford, but I don’t know how I’m doing it, despite all the criticism, so it has to be God. There are times that I almost stopped, but I would out of the blue get a message from some random person, telling me to keep going on, so this is an instruction from God,” said Chase.

The veteran educator pointed out that, “On a money basis, I should not be doing this, there’s no other private school in this country that is doing what I am doing, and I don’t know [any] politician [who] is doing what I’m doing. We have a culture where people have billions and they give back nothing to society and that bothers me.”

But how did it all start? What fueled Chase’s drive to give back, and more so, help the less fortunate student-athletes?  Chase explained that it is in his nature to help those who, based on no fault of theirs, are unable to achieve certain things in life.

A sports enthusiast all his life, Chase said that it was easy to fuse his charitable heart with athletes, since he also believes that just like the rest of the world, Guyana is filled with talented individuals who are yearning for a chance to be acknowledged.

He said after losing his parents three years apart during his teens, it was close friends and family who nurtured him. Several top national junior athletes are beneficiaries of Chase’s generosity, but it is his football team that grabs the attention of the public.

Boasting most of Guyana’s top youth players, his football squad is pitiless in their quest for titles; winning every tournament they featured.

But despite his good deeds, Chase is still subjected to criticism from persons who feel like he is grouping the country’s most gifted athletes for fame. “A lot of the critics who believe that I take students, to get fame are mistaken. They don’t know my heart, they don’t understand,” said Chase.

“I’m tired of everyone at the Olympics routing for Jamaica. The same genetics the Jamaicans have, we have it in Guyana but the difference is, we don’t have the nurturing culture, [we don’t have] the private sector who is investing and [passionate] people in Government responsible for sport. I believe as a school, it’s my duty to start changing things and I started off as a pilot. I believe that we need to group the best athletes, find the best teachers, coaches and groom them. This type of development is not only for Guyana, but the Caribbean.”

NO HELP

Chase said his efforts often times present a heavy financial burden, and in an effort to help offset some of his expenses, he has approached private companies for assistance. “Last year I approached 15 companies and I was turned down by all. I then approach Dr. Van West Charles and I am grateful for his assistance; he helped me to pay some CSEC fees and I’m forever grateful to him,” he said.

“What I’m hoping to do is get the government involved. Without the Government’s involvement in sports, there are no sports at all. My whole thing is to illuminate these issues so that government could come on board,” he said.

“It frustrates me that we spend billions on failed programmes, but we don’t invest in the human resource of this country. We have a Ministry of Youth and Sports and I really don’t know what they’re doing. I’m not seeing evidence of success stories; we have to start investing in young people; we have to see that happen, they will become a bit more compassionate.”

According to Chase, it would be impossible to help everyone, even though that’s his intention. But he thinks the absence of fathers from the lives of his athletes, forces him to fill that gap. “A lot of these athletes don’t have fathers; they don’t have no real father figure in their lives. They have a lot of social issues confronting them in their homes, and these are at-risk people,” said Chase.

Meanwhile, Chase listed the likes of National U17 Captain Jeremy Garrett, CARIFTA Games Gold and Bronze Medallist, Claudrice McKoy, footballers Kelsey Benjamin, Curtez Kelman and Ralph Parris, as some examples of persons who have turned out to be success stories despite their background. He commented on how much they’ve transformed into model-student athletes that others can emulate.

“I’m obviously elated, but it also proves what I’ve been saying over the years; if we can only invest in our athletes, we would become a proud country. They are children who will give us tremendous glory and fame, if we only believe in them, and give them the necessary support.”

He continued, “It hurt me when I saw our CARIFTA Games athletes come back and everyone wanted to be associated with them, but nobody took the time to support them when they were preparing and heading to the games. Last year, I give all my athletes spending money, nobody invested anything in them, but everybody wants to celebrate them.”

Chase vowed that as long as he is blessed with life, he will continue to help and hopefully one day, others will follow and offer similar services at their learning institutions.