By Darren Lum
Students from the Wilberforce area are being encouraged to apply for a new Wilberforce FUNraising Group Bursary Award worth $500.
The new bursary is made possible by an anonymous donor, said bursary coordinator and member of the Wilberforce FUNraising Group, Kathy Rogers.
“We searched out new ideas. We contacted the [Gooderham Community Action Group] as they had a bursary program for their community in place and asked if we could copy their idea for our community and they granted us permission and helped us get it set up,” she wrote in an email. “We now are establishing a $500 bursary award for one student from the Wilberforce area to further their education. We anticipated doing this earlier in the year but the pandemic has delayed many things as well as this one.”
The team of five at the fundraising group works to bolster community spirit.
Although the donation was only enough for this year’s bursary offering, they hope to continue to offer the bursary in following years. The funding for future recipients will come from fundraising efforts such as their maple syrup festival, penny raffle and the sale of community calendars. The group also welcomes donations from the public.
Rogers said getting to offer this bursary to students can only help provide a brighter future.
“As we are a small village we want to encourage our youth to broaden their knowledge and help them cover the high costs of further education,” she said.
The bursary application asks for the intended program of study, the name of the college, university or apprenticeship program, career goals, and academic information such as credits completed and final marks, participation in extra-curricular activities, and community service activities. It also asks for a written submission or video presentation or graphic presentation about the reason why the applicant is applying for the bursary and what career goals they have to be attached to the application. Preference will be given to students entering their first year of post-secondary education. The Wilberforce FUNraising Group will review the applications.
“We are not only looking for academic marks but for creative, community minded people,” the group’s information sheet reads.
The deadline for application is Dec. 1. Call Joan Barton at 705-448-3074 or email joan4196@gmail.com.
