Scholarship Fund
HELPING HORTICULTURE STUDENTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
The BC Council of Garden Clubs’ Scholarship Fund assists Canadian students resident in BC in furthering their education in horticulture in a recognized accredited college or university through the granting of scholarships and bursaries.
The capital of the fund comes from donations made by garden clubs throughout BC as well as bequests and other sources. These donations become and remain part of the capital fund. The capital fund is held and managed by the Vancity Community Foundation.
The Scholarship Fund Committee is responsible for encouraging donations and for allocating the available funds to BC educational facilities for students in their horticultural-related programs.
HOW THE FUND WORKS
Our members kindly donate funds to the Scholarship Fund.
The funds are held with the Vancity Community Foundation (VCF) as a Donor Advised Fund. This means that the Scholarship Fund Committee decides on the award levels and distribution of available funds each year. VCF recommends the distribution of 4% of the value of the fund each year. The funds are then distributed to the academic institutions where the financial aid offices identify scholarship candidates.
VOLUNTEER Opportunities
The committee meets approximately ten times a year by Zoom and is charged with the administration of the Scholarship Fund, including maintaining contact with: educational institutions receiving awards from the Scholarship Fund; Vancity Community Foundation, which administers the funds; clubs, individuals, and associations that donate to the fund; as well as with students receiving awards.
A familiarity with administrative practices, good computer skills, and a willingness to work with others are assets that are needed. Knowledge of non-profits, streamlining processes, or fundraising would also be beneficial.
If this is of interest to you and you would like more information, the current chairperson below, would be delighted to hear from you.
For more information on the Scholarship Fund, please feel free to email us .
Debbie was born and raised in the idyllic setting of Ocean Park and cannot imagine a better place to grow up. She is a member of the South Surrey Garden Club and has belonged to a number of committees. In September Deb will take on the role of Vice President. Gardeners are simply the best people, and by volunteering and joining committees, she have met so many members, who, through the years, have taught her, supported her, and become great friends.Before retiring Debbie worked for Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation in the awards and scholarships program. Joining the BCCGC scholarship committee seemed like a natural fit and she looks forward to the role.
Pam Robertson is a member of the South Surrey Garden Club and has served in a number of volunteer roles in her gardening life, including a recent stint as the secretary for the BC Council of Garden Clubs. After many years of downtown living in Vancouver and Toronto, when her kids started school she was happy to return to her suburban upbringing and have a yard and gardens of her own. Being raised by 70s parents helped instill a need to grow ALL of the vegetables, which has thankfully tapered off in its intensity and made room for appreciating random flowers intermixed. Semi-utilizing her BA from Queen’s and MA from UBC, both in English literature, Pam works in book publishing and suspects she will never retire, but that’s okay. As a previous scholarship student herself, she has a strong belief that the scholarships are fundamental in helping the next generation pursue their dreams and achieve success. And if they can also save the world via horticulture, even better.
Janet Rhodes Kelsey is a member of the Langley Garden Club and serves as the members’ garden tours coordinator. This seems a natural fit as she loves all types of gardens having grown up in a family that nurtured a love of nature and so many different kinds of gardens. As an adult she and her family moved from coast to coast in Canada and beyond. Janet developed a huge appreciation for all things flora. With each move and new location she learned how the environment and climate affect which plants thrive and which are a challenge. During her years in Portland, Oregon she was honoured to serve as a guide to the large groups who gathered to tour the twelve and a half acre site with its large collection of different gardens from many eras. She witnessed the huge impact gardening knowledge has for the many horticultural students who joined the gardening team. It easily follows that joining and promoting the scholarship committee for BCCGC is a natural progression giving an opportunity to share and pay this love of gardens forward to our next generations. This can only help facilitate the enhancement of our beautiful British Columbia.