The Westshore Community Foundation is helping area students put a solid foot forward with almost $40,000 in scholarship funding this year.
The foundation also granted close to $60,000 to community organizations to help them improve the quality of life for residents.
Nineteen students from communities along the west shore of Lake Winnipeg were celebrated and presented with scholarships during the foundation’s annual donor appreciation and scholarship awards evening at the Lakeview Resort in Gimli last Friday.
The scholarships will support students as they pursue their academic dreams and help them become the leaders of tomorrow.
Award recipient Sinead Gibbs thanked Westshore for its funding support of students from the rural area.
“There are a few extra hurdles and barriers we have to overcome as post-secondary students coming from a rural area,” said Gibbs. “I just moved into my own place out here and I’m driving to the University of Manitoba four days a week, which is a lot. I’m starting a master’s program this year which is taking more of my time. With a full-time practicum coming this summer, I’m not able to commit to work right now. Scholarships such as this one really gives me the possibility of continuing to go to university full time and reach my academic goals. It will certainly help me put a foot forward.”
Guest speaker Cheryl Buhler, past president of the Gimli Chamber of Commerce and current chair of the chamber’s destination brand committee, thanked Westshore for its generous donation of $7,000 to help bring more winter tourism to Gimli. The committee will be enhancing its Is Porp (Icelandic for ice village), which it had created last year on Lake Winnipeg. The ice village has earned three tourism award nominations.
The grant will go towards the construction of a warming hut, the addition of benches along the skating trail and more outdoor lighting. The hut and benches will be built by Gimli High School woodworking students.
“We live in this treasure and beautiful space and we want everyone to know about it,” said Buhler. “We’re adding more lights to the lake to make it a magical place to be. People were coming out here last year to propose. We thank you Westshore Foundation for the ability to continue to build on this.”
Westshore Community Foundation president David Douglas thanked donors for their generosity and said the donations have both immediate and long lasting impacts that improve the quality of life for communities along Lake Winnipeg and help students in their academic pursuits.
“On behalf of myself and our board of directors, I give the most heartfelt thanks to you, our donors, for your support over the past year,” said Douglas. “Your support helps us fulfil our mission of providing grants to various non-profit and community service organizations within our catchment area, and to provide scholarships to students so they can achieve their academic potential.”
Rosanna Cuthbert, who has sat on the Westshore board for five years and is stepping down this year, told donors that their generosity makes “an incredible difference in this community and surrounding communities” and also congratulated the award recipients.
“We are all so proud of our scholarship recipients and your efforts to improve our communities and ensure they continue to be such vibrant places to live in, work in and enjoy a high quality of life,” said Cuthbert. “We wish you all the best and we will all be cheering you on as you strive to achieve your best and be such a positive influence in our communities and in the world.”
Westshore granted a total of $39,610 to 19 scholarship recipients. They are as follows:
Westshore Community High School Scholarship: Leif Robak ($500) entering the University of Manitoba (UM) with the goal of becoming a pharmacist; Mary Johnston ($500) entering UM for a degree in forensic psychology; Sofiya Balaban ($500) entering UM; Linda Spigiel ($500) enrolled in business at UM.
Westshore Community Scholarship: Samantha Giesbrecht ($3,000) enrolled at Athabasca University in the master of nursing program; Elisee Moore ($2,000) enrolled at the University of Galway in Ireland for a medical degree; Sinead Gibbs ($2,000) entering UM master of social work program; Alyssa Gard ($1,200) attending Red River College for a bachelor of nursing program with the goal of becoming a STARS Air Ambulance nurse; Kyra Humniski ($1,200) attending UM with the goal of becoming a veterinarian; Liam Harapiak ($1,200) second year engineering at UM; Dalton Johnson ($1,060) second year of civil engineering at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay; Zack Meadows ($1,060) second year of science and engineering at UM with the goal of working in biomedical engineering.
Larry & Helen Kristjanson Family Scholarship: Tyra Angus ($6,730) enrolled at UM to major in neuroscience.
Carole Ann Clark Memorial Scholarship: Emily Pemkowski ($2,000) attending UM faculty of education; Stephanie Mills ($1,351) plus a Westshore Community Scholarship of $649 entering Brandon University for a masters of inclusive education.
Alison Olson Memorial Scholarship: Maddie Bergman ($3,000) University of Winnipeg human resources development diploma; Autumn Witt ($2,669) plus a Westshore Community Scholarship of $331 enrolled at UM in human nutrition sciences with the goal of becoming a dietitian.
Tim & Delphine Arnason Scholarship: Emily Friesen ($2,456) entering the UM faculty of music for a performance degree.
Dr. Elaine Sigurdson Memorial Scholarship: Krista Sigvaldason ($1,925) enrolled at UM in medicine with the goal of obtaining a residency in rural family medicine.
Robert Arnason Memorial Scholarship: Sofiya Balaban ($1,000) entering University 1 at UM.
Westshore Interlake-Eastern Healthcare Fund Scholarship: Sinead Gibbs ($2,779) entering the master of social work program at UM.
The evening included a presentation by Evergreen Foundation Scholarship chair Dianna Auer and vice chair Collette Banks. They presented Karis Park with a $1,000 grant to help her towards the goal of becoming a doctor.
“Karis is a former student of Evergreen School Division and is enrolled at UM in the faculty of science,” said Auer. “Her goal is to work in the medical field and is on her way to becoming a doctor. She wants to serve in rural communities to fill the [medical] shortages.”
Express photos by Patricia Barrett
Westshore granted $59,137 to 18 community organizations
They are as follows:
Evergreen Basic Needs ($4,000).
Gimli Lawn Bowling Club ($5,000).
Rotary Club of Gimli ($1,000).
Fraserwood Hall ($3,000).
Gimli Glider Museum ($1,000).
Icelandic Festival of Manitoba ($1,250).
Minerva Hall ($7,000).
New Iceland Heritage Museum ($7,000)
New Iceland Heritage Museum ($1,000).
Gimli Environmental Advisory Committee ($1,500).
Gimli Community Cemetery Committee ($750).
Evergreen Band Boosters ($1,000).
Riverton Memorial Arena ($2,600).
Community Bridges Gimli ($4,000).
Riverton Early Middle Years School ($7,000).
Matlock Recreation Club ($4,000).
Destination Brand Committee, Gimli Chamber of Commerce ($7,000).
Riverton & District Friendship Centre ($1,037).
