By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle

The Community Foundation has announced its annual post-secondary school bursary award recipients which will provide much needed assistance to local students attending universities and colleges.

The Foundation awarded 27 bursaries totalling $57,550 to students from the South Okanagan Similkameen including six students from Oliver and Osoyoos. 

From Oliver, Larissa Watt received the L&R Supplementary Bursary Fund while from Osoyoos, Taylor Bierlmeier and Owen Blaine both received Belyea Brothers Fund bursaries and  Samuel Kleiver, Jackson van Raes, and Starla Rorison were recipients of the Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts bursaries. 

The Foundation directly administers 11 bursary funds to support students studying Fine Arts, Humanities, Sciences, Engineering – and everything in between. Bursaries are available to both adult and newly graduating students, with financial need being the key pre-requisite.

“The funding of university is something that’s really, really, difficult for a lot of kids these days,” says Samuel Kleiver, a Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts bursary recipient who is studying at the University of Lethbridge. 

“I’ve seen a lot of my friends struggle with finances, and some of them have even dropped out of university specifically because there has not been the opportunity to get funding and support for the programs that they’re trying to go into.”

Similarly, Tianna Ferlizza, who is studying Musical Theatre and is also a recipient of an award from the Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts, says receiving a bursary provides much more than a financial boost. 

“It’s important that us young artists are getting support from our community. It really goes beyond the funding; it’s about having people there who support us and believe in us and it fuels our inspiration and makes us want to work harder and keep doing what we do,” Ferlizza said.

The Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts was created in 2010 to support students pursuing a performing arts education. The endowment fund recognizes her contributions to the arts in Penticton, particularly in her roles as Committee Chair for the Penticton Centennial, and as one of the founding members of Many Hats Theatre Company.

The need for bursary support from the Foundation is always greater than the funds available to disburse, the foundation notes.

“We’re extremely grateful to our current donors for their support of the dreams and aspirations of students in our region,” says Kevin Ronaghan, Manager of Grants and Community Initiatives with the Community Foundation. 

“We welcome additional donors to help us increase our reach and impact with this important program.”

The full list of 2024 bursary recipients includes:

  • Dr. John and Kathy Scarfo Bursary Fund: Maya Lefebvre, Daryl-lee Schalm, Camryn Sweeney, Amer Mach, Hashanah Cabug-Os, Riota Issacs, Brook Letourneau, Josephine Kay, Yar Mach, Daniel Nixon, Javier Carlos 
  • Eva & Herbert Rosinger Scholarship Fund: Devan O’Gorman, Angela Omojuwa   
  • L&R Supplementary Bursary Fund: Larissa Watt
  • Culver Family Bursary Fund: Amy Lucich
  • Irene & Charles Armstrong Bursary Fund: Meghan Harms
  • South Okanagan Indigenous Education Fund: Kyra Souch, Ciara Browne
  • Belyea Brothers Fund: Taylor Bierlmeier, Owen Blaine, Viktoria Quindt 
  • Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts: Tianna Ferlizza, Samuel Kleiver, Jackson van Raes, Starla Rorison 
  • Lynn and Brian Jackson Endowment for Fine Arts: Kyrah van der Merwe
  • Alana Matthew Fund: Josephine Kay

The Community Foundation is hosting a series of documentary screenings and conversations of “UnCharitable,” a thought-provoking film that challenges traditional perspectives on philanthropy and charity. 

The documentary and discussion will be held in Oliver at the Fairview Golf Club on Oct. 9 from 5 – 7:30 p.m. The event is free but those interested in attending are asked to RSVP.

For more information on the bursary program visit the Community Foundation website.  To learn more about establishing a bursary fund with the Foundation, contact, Yuki Ihara, Manager of Donor Services, at [email protected] or 236-700-6706.