Last year 28 students from Gravenhurst enrolled in universities and colleges were assisted by citizens from Gravenhurst who, over the past 12 years, have made donations to the Rotary Bursary Endowment Fund. This year the fund expects to provide about $120,000.00 in bursaries to help students and their families who are in need of financial assistance to pursue a higher education. The Rotary Club of Gravenhurst initiated the Rotary Bursary Endowment Fund in 2009 for those wishing to obtain a degree, diploma or certificate from a university, college or trade program of their choice. There is no age limit and the student’s marks are not required on the application. Through the generosity of over 150 Gravenhurst and area residents, 21 ‘Stand-Alone’ bursaries have been set up in families names providing between $1,200.00 and $4,000.00 each. In addition to the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst, bursaries will be provided by the following families who have donated $25,000.00 or more to the Endowment Fund:
Mary E. McSheffery Memorial Bursary
Norman Rippon Family Bursary
Everett and Florence Doherty Family Bursary
Ross and Betty Franklin Family Bursary
Audrey and Fred Brown Family Bursary
William and Dora Rathbun Family Bursary
Agnes Lina Cook Memorial Bursary
Terence Haight Memorial Bursary
Glen and Phyllis Williams Family Bursary
Isabel Heels Memorial Bursary
Goodwin Family Bursary
Frankish Family Bursary
Vellinga Family Bursary
Enno and Marina Hoekstra Family Bursary
Jack and Sandra Young Family Bursary
Patricia Patterson Family Bursary
John Vail Family Bursary,
Dorothy Liddle Bursary
Patricia Forth Memorial Bursary.
Robert and Daleanne Barnes Family Bursary
Ken Little, Chairman of the Fund, noted ‘. The community should be proud of their involvement in the success of the children from our community. For some families, just knowing there is help in our community for their children is changing the perceptions of some parents of lower income families. It also changes the expectations of children if they know there is financial assistance. It’s important for parents and children to know there is help – right here in our community for their next generation to get a better education.”
Richard Augustine, an accountant and advisor to the Bursary Fund, notes: The bursaries come from the dividends and interest earned on the investments from the donations we receive. We do not spend the donations, we invest them. As the fund grows we can give more and more to students who have a dream of a better life. The fund has grown substantially from the $50,000.00 which provided $2,500.00 in 2009 to a substantial endowment providing $120,000.00 this year.
To qualify for a Bursary, the applicant must be a Gravenhurst resident either, and actively pursuing a post-secondary education. If a student is from Gravenhurst and attending a Catholic Schools in Bracebridge or Orillia, they may also be eligible for a bursary. Previous Bursary Award winners may apply each year they are at school. Members of the Rotary Club and their families are not eligible.
The Rotary Bursary Endowment Fund continues to receive donations annually from individuals in the community and encourages those who as a result of inheritance, lottery or their own hard work find themselves in a position to gift over $25,000.00 to speak to our Chairman and become a sustaining member with your own family bursary. Each and every year a bursary will be given to a student in your name and the student will receive an accompanying story of you or your family. Your legacy will live on each year in a new child’s appreciative heart. It is a registered charity and provides tax receipts. Help us, to help those, trying to help themselves!
Applications for the 2021-2022 year of study are available at the local High Schools or on the website at www.BursaryFund.ca, where you will also find full details regarding qualifications, special donors, history etc.
Fully completed Applications must be received by June 30th and can be dropped off at Muskoka Real Estate Services, 810 Bay St. in Gravenhurst, or call Ken Little at 705-687-7777 or mail to:
