Front Row: Sonia Denis, Geneviève Romain-Jacques, Elizabeth Roy, Christina Duval, Cédrine Levesque, Lindsay Howard, Hayley Campbell; 2nd Row: Andrew Hickey, Maeva Greco, Marie-Josée Forgues, Keisha Godin, Tiffany Tubman, Keri Beck, Kendal Wallbott, Haily Russett; 3rd Row: Hannah Makusky, Keith Lang, Sarah Zimmerling, Marie-Josée Corriveau, Pier-Luc Graveline, Graham Downey on behalf of Arnold Downey; Back Row: Samuel Plante, Gregory Tubman, Christopher Lee, Matthew Kelly, Stéphanie Demers, Timmy Laroche. Missing from the photo are Holly Campbell and Émilie Demers.
Lynne Lavery
On Thursday afternoon, June 25, at Norway Bay Golf Course, 28 students from all areas of MRC Pontiac and the Municipality of Pontiac received $1,000 bursaries from Les Bourses du Pontiac / The Pontiac Scholarship Fund. There were a record number of bursaries given this year.
Created in 1994, The Pontiac Scholarship Fund raises money for the
scholarships from local businesses, professionals and government agencies and from a long-term investment started in the early years of its existence; SADC Pontiac partners with the organization
providing administrative assistance.
Scholarships are given to help students with lower family incomes pursue their post-secondary education; some of the bursaries require exceptional community involvement and others are for specific fields such as health, trades
(construction or electrical work), or agriculture. The application process is very thorough requiring students to provide details of their registration, marks, parents and personal incomes, as well as written answers of how the bursary will help them achieve their goals and what they hope to do in the future. Many expressed a desire to return to the Pontiac to help the local economy, to create jobs, to take over a family business or farm, or to work in local health and medical centers.
This year students from all local schools and CEGEPS as well as those attending University in Gatineau, Ottawa, Sherbrooke, and, as far away as Alberta, were rewarded for their hard work and commitment to their studies
President Robert Pelletier introduced each recipient and the bursaries were given by members of the committee, including France Lamarche, Lynne Lavery, Monique Racine-Lavigne and Nancy Dagenais. Local contractor and donor, Cletus Pieschke spoke on behalf of the
28 donors, saying how
important this process is and, even though it is a “feel good thing to give”, it’s more than that. “Given the challenges in our local
economy, it’s amazing that we have $28,000 in
bursaries to give to these young people. This is so important to our future
in the Pontiac. This helps them further their
education and then come back to help the Pontiac’s economy grow. They are our future. We need them to succeed,” he concluded.
