The first year of university or college can be a financial nightmare for anyone. In 2011, York-Scarborough’s area council began a program to support local youth and attack the problem head-on. Since then, 83 youth in the area have each been given a $500 bursary.
Applications for the next round of bursaries are due May 30. Application forms have been sent to all incumbents and priests-in-charge in the area, so please contact them if you or someone you know is interested in applying.
Some of the 12 recipients from 2018 shared their stories with me. Grace Rockett of St. Aidan, Toronto is studying musical theatre at Sheridan College. She said the bursary helped her pay for the academic books required in her first year. “I am so thankful for this help, as it made first year a lot easier and way less stressful,” she said.
DeAndrea Yeates of St. Paul, Bloor Street, said that without the bursary she would have struggled to the buy textbooks required for the humanities program she is enrolled in at the University of Toronto. Charlotte Day of St. Saviour, Toronto, enrolled in the educational support program at Sheridan College. “Without the grant, I don’t think I would have been able to go to college this year,” she says. “It has been an incredible experience, and I am so thankful for the church I go to.”
To be eligible for the bursary, applicants must demonstrate an ongoing and active involvement in their home parish. They must be entering their first year of study at a recognized post-secondary institution. Lastly, they must be recommended by their incumbent or priest-in-charge, need financial assistance and satisfactorily complete the application.
Thank you to York-Scarborough’s area council for this opportunity to support our youth in the area.
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