In keeping with CFUW goals to encourage advanced study and research by women and to cultivate excellence in education, CFUW West Vancouver presents awards to women students continuing their education at post-secondary institutions.
In 1989 CFUW West Vancouver established an Educational Trust, an endowment fund from which scholarships and bursaries are provided from time to time.
Additionally, two bursaries are endowed at Capilano University. The CFUW West Vancouver Mary Neil Bursary and the CFUW West Vancouver Memorial Bursary, both for mature women students.
CFUW West Vancouver Educational Trust
Our Education Trust provides one time Education Awards at the undergraduate level. CFUW West Vancouver supports North Shore Crisis Centre education grants, students aging out of care.
We offer local awards in areas that support CFUW national policies and initiatives, e.g. Early Childhood Care and Education and Gerontology, Climate Change, and Mental Health.
CFUW West Vancouver Bursaries
CFUW West Vancouver established an endowment fund at Capilano University, which provides funds for the CFUW West Vancouver Mary Neil Bursary, created in 1979 in memory of a former club president. A second endowment at Capilano University established the CFUW West Vancouver Memorial Bursary in memory of deceased members. Both bursaries provide annual awards to mature women students.
Upon the opening of Capilano College in North Vancouver in 1968, CFUW West Vancouver started an annual $100 bursary award. One of the first recipients was Sally Carswell. She wrote:
“I am married with teenaged children at home. My husband is
supportive, but relatives and friends regard my going to school as a frivolous
waste of time and money. The fact that a University Women’s Club saw fit to
honour me with this award seemed to justify what I was doing, and their faith in my ability provided encouragement.”
Sally continued her education at UBC, graduated with degrees in History and English Literature, became a successful writer, local historian and later, an active member of CFUW West Vancouver.
CFUW West Vancouver Mary Neil Bursary
In 1978, we renamed the Capilano bursary to the CFUW West Vancouver Mary Neil Bursary in memory of a former CFUW West Vancouver Club President. The value of the bursary gradually increased to $500, and some years several additional awards were given. Another grateful student wrote:
“I am a full-time mature student attending Capilano College. After many
years in Financial Industry, I decided to return to school to pursue a career in
Radiation Therapy. The funds from the Mary Neil Bursary will be of great
assistance as I continue my studies.”
CFUW West Vancouver Memorial Bursary
Later a second Endowment Fund, we established the CFUW West Vancouver Memorial Bursary at Capilano to honour deceased members of CFUW West Vancouver. Both bursaries for women students aged 21 or older enrolled in academic studies.
Over 95 students received CFUW West Vancouver Mary Neil bursaries in excess of $42,000. CFUW West Vancouver Memorial Bursary provided over 90 students with awards totalling over $68,000.
Gaming Education Awards
For over 20 years, CFUW WV has granted Gaming Education Awards, funded by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs:
– $4,000 annually to women entering first year of post-secondary study.
– $14,000 annually to women studying in fields where they are under-represented.
Each year we make awards to post-secondary students at British Columbia Institute of Technology, Douglas College, Simon Fraser University and The University of British Columbia in fields where women are under-represented; and to secondary students graduating from Pemberton, Howe Sound, Sentinel, Rockridge and West Vancouver Secondary Schools. Over 430 students received awards totalling nearly $400,000.
Quick notes from students:
“Thank you very much! It is a privilege for me to receive this award. I
feel support of a community behind me and for that I’m very grateful. It is an
amazing feeling to be acknowledged for your efforts. I will continue to strive for
success in my studies and work.”
“Many thanks to CFUW West Vancouver for the Education Award you
presented to me to further my education in the Geographic Information Systems Advanced Diploma at BCIT. It helped to pay my tuition fees. I am just finishing the first term of the winter semester and I am looking forward to my practicum when I go to Vancouver Island to work with Parks Canada.”