Growing donor support helps students excel

Increasing donor support of Lakeland College’s student awards program is enabling more students to take the lead.

Lakeland hosted donor award celebrations at the Vermilion and Lloydminster campuses in March. A total of 896 recipients were recognized with awards, bursaries and scholarships valued at $1,013,658. Fifteen new awards were presented for the first time.

“We thank our incredible donors for assisting our students to be the best they can be – whether it’s in the classroom, on a sports team or in supporting their favourite cause,” says Alice Wainwright-Stewart, president of Lakeland College. “Their support is visionary and their commitment to education allows our students to take charge of their future.”

“These dollars make a huge impact in the lives of everyone who receives them,” says Alison Bonsan, a first-year university transfer student. 

Speaking on behalf of award recipients at the Lloydminster campus celebration, Bonsan thanked the donors for helping students overcome the financial hurdles they face. 

“Everyone has an obstacle that can either hold us back or make us stronger,” says Bonsan, who received the Marshall Rebekahs and Odd Fellows Scholarship and the Vic Juba Student Volunteer/Leadership Award. In addition to attending classes full-time, being a wife and a mother of two, Bonsan works three part-time jobs. She’s a substitute educational assistant for the Lloydminster Public School Division, a peer tutor and learning attendant at Lakeland, as well as a referee for the local soccer association and busy volunteer in the community.

“For me, it’s been a long journey. Coming back to college was something that I always planned to do someday. But the reality is huge for me and these awards and scholarships go a long way in lifting the financial burden of how I’m going to pay for bills every month while I go to school full time,” says Bonsan. “It’s a huge affirmation that yes, I made the right decision in coming to Lakeland College. It’s worth it for every student to do their best – it pays to work hard.”

In addition to the students recognized with awards, scholarships and bursaries at the celebrations, 486 Lakeland students benefited from the Saskatchewan Advantage Scholarship program, which distributed $242,366 in scholarships to eligible Saskatchewan high school grads. And there are still more awards to be presented to students before the 2015-16 academic year is done.

In total, more than $1.3 million in awards, scholarships and bursaries is expected to be distributed among 1,440 Lakeland students this academic year, thanks to the generosity of longstanding donors and that of first-time donors.

Photos from the Vermilion and Lloydminster campus ceremonies are available to download from Lakeland’s Flickr account.

Photo: Students at the Lloydminster award celebration thank donors for their generous support.