By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle
Seventeen local students received a financial boost for their post-secondary education through the 2021 bursary program run by the Community Foundation of the South Okanagan Similkameen (CFSOS).
This year, eight different endowment funds granted bursaries to local students of all ages.
“These endowment funds have been created by donors who believe in the value of education and its power to improve quality of life for an individual and their family,” said Sarah Trudeau, manager of grants and community initiatives at CFSOS.
“Although we received fewer applications from previous years, the need was clearly demonstrated in the essays the students submitted,” she said.
Part of the application process involves submitting a personal essay, which states the student’s achievements, not only in their schooling but also in their personal life.
“These really give insight into what the student has overcome in their life and their future goals,” said Trudeau.
A total of 11 students received Dr. John & Kathy Scarfo Fund bursaries, which granted each student over $2,657. These bursaries were awarded to students who live an active and healthy lifestyle and are pursuing education in an effort to improve life for themselves and their families.
The 2021 Dr. John & Kathy Scarfo Bursary Fund recipients are (in no particular order): Sofia Terbasket-Funmaker, Marianne McGoran, Zoe Mallach, Coral Ruttan, Sydney Hanson, Abigail Winstone, Jessica ter Wolbeek, Jamison Lois Foster, Matthew Olsen, Holly Atkinson, and Lyndzie Caron.
Three students won bursaries under the Sharon Amos Legacy Fund for the Arts, which was established after the death of well-known community leader, Sharon Amos.
This fund awarded bursaries to three students who are pursuing education in the arts with recipients each receiving $1,000 including Zoe Mallach, Sophie Robinson and Kaiden Creagh.
The South Okanagan Aboriginal Bursary Fund was established in 2013 to support local Indigenous students. Shortly after the announcement of this new fund, another anonymous donor came forward and donated an additional $10,000 to the bursary fund. This year, Sofia Terbasket-Funmaker was the sole recipient of the $1,720 award.
The Culver Family Bursary Fund was established to support students entering their second year of humanities. Coral Ruttan is the recipient and was awarded $1,400 towards her post-secondary schooling.
Lynn & Brian Jackson Endowment for Fine Arts was established with a $700 bursary to support students who are pursuing an education in fine arts programs. The recipient of this award was Zoe Mallach.
The Charles & Irene Armstrong Bursary supports students pursuing an education to improve their lives and better support their families. This year’s recipient of the $960 award is Matthew Thacker.
The L&R Supplementary Bursary was established to support students pursuing education to upgrade for employment qualification. This year’s recipient of the $2,050 award is Candice Randall.
The Eva and Herbert Rosinger Fund is the latest bursary fund under the umbrella and supports students entering into or continuing studies in engineering or physical sciences and demonstrate financial need. This year’s recipient is Liam Rowan.
“Congratulations to all of this year’s bursary recipients. I encourage everyone to reapply next year when the bursary funding cycle opens again in March of 2022,” said Trudeau.
