Some students returning to school this week have a little more money for tuition because of generous Comox Valley Community Foundation donors.
The CVCF maintains eight scholarship and bursary funds for students attending North Island College and for high school graduates who are heading off to colleges and universities across British Columbia. These have been created by donors who recognize the importance to our community of encouraging higher education. In all, these funds will help pay the tuition of 20 students this year.
Several of the CV Community Foundation scholarships were created by gifts made in a donor’s Will. Harold Christie, for instance, left the CVCF $200,000 in his Will for students pursuing medical studies. This year, five nursing students at NIC will receive $2,000 each in awards because of Mr. Christie’s legacy. “Every year the CVCF receives numerous letters and cards from grateful students,” says Gen McNamee, Community Foundation director and head of the scholarship committee. “We know these scholarships make a huge difference.” Some CVCF scholarships are designed to benefit students at a particular school but others are open Valley-wide. “This means the scholarship or bursary rotates every year among the high schools,” continues McNamee. “This gives all Comox Valley students greater opportunities to learn.”
An exciting development this year was the creation of the multi-million dollar Mamie and Cherry Aitken Fund at the CVCF. Like all other funds at the CVCF, this fund will be held in perpetuity. One quarter of the annual income will be used to pay scholarships and bursaries at NIC for Comox Valley students. At the announcement of the Aitken Fund in May, NIC Vice President Randall Heidt said that this could mean fully paid full time tuition for 25 students — “Every year. Forever.”
To learn how you can make a gift of education that can make a difference — forever — visit the CVCF website at
