New Scholarship will help Kids in Care further their Education

July 14, 2011 - People who have grown up in foster care now have a new scholarship to help pay for post-secondary education. The Foster Family Coalition of the NWT, with help from BHP Billiton, has created the “Helping Children Soar” Scholarship Fund. Two scholarships will be awarded annually, each worth $500. The scholarship fund will be administered by the Yellowknife Community Foundation (continued below). "Scholarships for children in foster care" by Sarah Ferguson, NNSL)

An official launch ceremony was held on Thursday, July 14th at 2:00 p.m. at Camp Connections (Camp Antler) located approximately 65 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife on the Ingraham Trail.

The scholarship will open annually to residents of the Northwest Territories who have grown up in foster care and are furthering their education in a program formally recognized by the Foster Families Coalition of the Northwest Territories.

The board of the FFC-NWT wants to support people who were raised in foster care and who have soared above their challenges to become all that they can be. “There are many issues being raised in care and we want to encourage them to further their education in a trade or field of their choice,” says FFC-NWT executive Director, Tammy Krivda. “These young adults did not have parents saving for their education and need as much support as they can get. We applaud their efforts,” she says.

Funds for the scholarship came from BHP Billiton and other generous donors. New donations can be made to the Helping Children Soar Scholarship Fund by sending a cheque to the Yellowknife Community Foundation at the address below or on line through CanadaHelps.Org.

About the Foster Families Coalition of the Northwest Territories:  The Foster Family Coalition of the NWT is a unified voice, dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and youth in foster care by supporting foster families’ well-being. It is a non-profit founded in 2001.

Helping Children Soar  by Dawn Oman is symbolic of the team of individuals who work together to help children in need. These people include foster parents, social workers, teachers, doctors, mentors and anyone else who help children soar above their challenges and become all that they can be. 

For more information about the Helping Children Soar Scholarship Fund, please contact:
FFC-NWT Executive Director Tammy Krivda at 766-3326 or if you are out of town at 1-866-233-0136 or by e-mail at info@ffcnwt.com.

Or

Darrell Vikse
Yellowknife Community Foundation
P.O. Box 1620
Yellowknife. NT
X1A 2P2
E: info@yellowknifecommunityfoundation.ca