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- EDUCATION
Education has always been a major focus of the Foundation. Reta Weston,
wife of Garfield Weston and mother of many of the Foundation's Directors,
taught school in rural Saskatchewan. There have been teachers in each
subsequent generation of the family. For over forty years the Foundation
has had a tradition of supporting numerous innovative educational
initiatives without advocating one method of education over another.
A few examples of past projects include:
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The Royal Conservatory of Music, "Learning
Through the Arts," a project dedicated to changing the way
the core curriculum is taught and learned in public schools across
Canada.
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The Music Program at Dixon Hall, Toronto,
helping children in the housing projects of Regent's Park to learn
an instrument.
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Covenant House, Toronto, providing
scholarships for homeless youth to attend higher education.
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Canadian 4-H Council, providing bursaries
for young farmers in high-school from across Canada to visit farms
in the United Kingdom. |
In February 2003, the Foundation announced a one-time donation of
$15 million to the Ontario
Science Centre for their new Weston Family Innovation Centre:
an area that will help create a culture of innovation among youth
and foster a greater understanding of science and technology.
The Foundation currently directs the balance of its funding in education
to three projects in the following areas:
Elementary
College
University
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ELEMENTARY
Children
First: School Choice Trust is a pilot initiative of the Fraser Institute.
The program offers tuition assistance grants, allowing Ontario parents
who would not otherwise have the resources to choose an independent
elementary school for their children to attend. Starting in 2003 and
for the next three years, 150 elementary-school will be able to apply
for grants of 50% of tuition, up to $3,500 a year. The grants will continue
until the students complete Grade 8.
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| Winning this award "has
instilled in me a sense of pride that is worth more than I can ever
explain, and that will sustain me throughout my journeys in life...Thank
you for giving me the opportunities and experiences you have, for
if it were not for the Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship for Colleges,
I would not be the person I am. " |
Nathan Romagnoli,
2001 GWMSC National Scholar |
"...the support touched me at many levels, though the financial
support put me through school, it was the emotional support and
the faith you all had in me to make this world a better place that
really got me through." |
Genevieve Nolet
1999 GWMSC National Scholar |
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COLLEGE
In 1999 The W. Garfield Weston Foundation decided to sponsor one of
the first scholarship programs in Canada for full-time students attending
a community college in any program which leads to a diploma.
- The Garfield Weston
Merit Scholarships for Colleges (GWMSC), organized in conjunction
with The Canadian Merit
Scholarship Foundation, are designed to identify, recognize and
reward well-rounded high-school students and adults. This scholarship
is open to those who intend to enroll full-time at one of the more
than thirty participating colleges. Scholars chosen to receive the
top award, known as the GWMSC National Award, receive a tuition grant
of up to $4500 for each year of their studies from the community college.
In addition, National winner receives $8000 from the GWMSC and on-going
support from both CMSF staff and college advisors to help them seek
new challenges and exceed their own expectations. Upon graduation
successful students receive up to $3,000 to enable them to travel
or enrich their careers with an internship or volunteer experience.
To date, the Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship for Colleges has made
140 college scholarship offers. These students would likely not have
received any financial recognition for their dedication to their schools
and communities were it not for the GWMSC.
- 1998-2000 The GWMSC began in Ontario, working in participation
with 25 community colleges during its first two years.
2000-2001 The program expanded to include colleges in Manitoba,
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, bringing the
total number of participating colleges to 31.
2002-2003 The GWMSC now welcomes applications from college-bound
students in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia and PEI.
2003-2004 Up to 50 National Award scholarships will be awarded
this year. In order to be eligible for this award, the student must
attend one of the following colleges in our consortium across Canada:
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| "...the scholarship
changed the direction of my life and brought about opportunities
I could never have imagined upon graduation from my high school
in Courtney, British Columbia....Your scholarship has allowed me
to develop and experience life in the most unexpected and rewarding
ways." |
Ben Kunz
1998 Weston National Scholar |
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UNIVERSITY
The Foundation supports, through The
Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation, the Garfield Weston National
Awards for university study, the flagship awards of the CMSF and the
premier undergraduate awards in Canada. Students selected for this
award, the richest undergraduate scholarship in Canada, must not only
have outstanding high-school grades, but must also demonstrate entrepreneurial
leadership, have made a difference in their communities, and show
a strong moral character.
For each award, the universities make tuition grants which the Foundation
matches with cash of up to $8,000 for up to four years of undergraduate
study at the following universities only:
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Bishop's University |
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University of Guelph |
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Dalhousie University |
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University of King's College |
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King's College of Western Ontario |
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University of Manitoba |
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Lakehead University |
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Université de Moncton |
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McGill University |
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Université de Montréal |
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McMaster University |
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University of New Brunswick |
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Memorial University |
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University of Ottawa |
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Mount Allison University |
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University of Sasktchewan |
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Queen's University |
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University of Toronto |
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Simon Fraser University |
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University of Waterloo |
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University of Alberta |
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University of Western Ontario |
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University of British Columbia |
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York University |
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University of Calgary |
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