SCHOLARSHIPS

The UWC (Toronto) Foundation is responsible for giving financial awards, scholarships to young women and girls who wish to pursue a university education.

The University Women’s Club Toronto states that it will always recognize and fulfill its mandate through the work of the Foundation to help provide educational opportunities for young women with excellent academic records, community involvement and financial need. The Foundation is obliged to award in a timely manner as much of its funds as possible each year to deserving students.

The University Women’s Club transfers $50,000 annually from the club to the Foundation. In addition, our members make personal contributions of about $25,000 every year.

Since the inception of our charity, UWC (Toronto) Foundation, in 2019. The University Women’s Club Toronto, its members, families and friends have donated close to $400,000 to scholarships for young women

We gratefully welcome all donations. Our Foundation is a registered charity and provides tax receipts. In addition, we accept the donation of securities.

The scholarship committee of the University Women’s Club Toronto develops relationships with target schools in the Toronto District School Board to identify candidates in need of financial support for post-secondary education.

OUR MISSION

In 2023 the UWC (Toronto) Foundation awarded nine scholarships of $6000 each to deserving young women from central Toronto high schools. Recipients are chosen from these schools, each of which is allowed to submit one candidate, on the recommendation of the principal and guidance counsellor.



2023 UWC Toronto scholarships

June 27 was certainly a most memorable evening. One hundred scholars, family members, school staff and UWC Toronto members gathered to celebrate and honour our current 2023 scholarship recipients and our first tranche of 2019 awardees, who will be graduating this year. What a delight to meet so many of our scholarship recipients, their families and supporters. It was exciting to renew connections with our 2019 recipients and to hear their many stories of success.  The room was filled with so much joy and so many smiles.

Our 2023 recipients received their award, scholarship certificate and their Scholars Program certificate and pin. Our 2019 graduates received, through the Scholars Program, a one year membership to our club.  

Jateya Grbic was our guest speaker representing our first scholarship recipients of 2019.  Her message was a profound one, not just of thanks and gratitude for the support she has received over her four university years but also as a role model for our 2023 recipients. 


2022 UWC Toronto Scholarships

June 15 was certainly a most memorable evening. 100 scholars, family members, school staff and UWC Toronto members gathered to celebrate and honour our past and current scholarship recipients. What a delight to meet so many of our scholarship recipients, their families and supporters. Of our 39 scholars, 21 from over four years were able to attend. The room was filled with so much joy and so many smiles.


2021 scholarship recipients

What another great year of applications! Your committee had a difficult but rewarding task deliberating over the merits of this incredible field of young women scholars. We have been humbled by their stories, their diligence and their triumphs over adversity.

We are pleased that we are able to introduce you to our seven scholarship winners for the 2021-2022 school year. 


2020 scholarship recipients

We have much to celebrate here at the UWC Toronto even during these uncertain times.
After diligent and very thoughtful deliberation by your Scholarship Committee, we can introduce you to our scholarship recipients of 2020. The competition this year was particularly intense and the selection process a very difficult one. So many times throughout our decision making meeting we voiced our wish that we could support all of the very worthy applicants. 

All of our recipients are very high academic achievers but it is their stories of overcoming adversity as well as the extensive leadership and volunteering in their schools and communities that often become the deciding factors. 


2019 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

What a celebration!!   Our UWC Scholarship Reception, held on June 24, was a wonderful acknowledgement of our scholarship recipients. Our first year of overseeing our scholarship process culminated in the presentation of eight awards. 

The following six young women received our $4000.00 UWC Toronto Scholarships:
Smia Baig - Riverdale Collegiate Institute, Life Sciences - University of Toronto
Jateya Grbic - Harbord Collegiate Institute, Biology - Ryerson
Rajitha Gunaseelan - Central Toronto Academy, Business Economics - York University
Maha Pervez - Monarch Park Collegiate Institute, Business - Ryerson University
Sarania Thavakaran - Jarvis Collegiate Institute, Business Management - Ryerson University
Lisa Yu - Central Technical School, Environmental Sciences - University of Waterloo

The UWC Toronto Special Award of $2000.00 was awarded to: Bahja Farah - Health Studies - University of Waterloo

The Mary Macdonald Scholarship of $25,000 was presented to: Alyssa Clark - York Memorial Collegiate Institute, Social Work - Trent University

We were delighted to host so many parents and family members of our award winners. Their pride was palpable. Support from school staff members who attended was truly appreciated. 

We were honoured to have five representatives from the Mary Macdonald family present at the reception. Joan Hunter presented the Mary Macdonald Scholarship with a very touching tribute to her aunt. 

Thank you to the great number of our club members who joined us in celebrating these incredible young women. 

We wish all our award winners continued academic success and are looking forward to hearing from them as they transition to university life.  

Respectfully submitted,
- Chris Ward

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Susan,

Thank you, and all the women who planned and carried out such a beautiful tribute to all the award winners on Monday afternoon. It was a sparkling time, with high energy and great happiness for everyone it seemed. It was lovely to meet Alyssa, and to hear descriptions from you and a few of the people on the selection committee. It is such a good reminder of why we, and you, do the work we do, just how badly it is needed, and the impact it has. We wish Alyssa and all the other award winners, and the women of UWC all good wishes for continued success in the adventures that lie ahead.
You have shown wonderful leadership, Susan, in establishing the Foundation and consolidating this part of your work.

Thank you! Blessings to you all,
Joan and Don Hunter


Iqaluit Scholarship Recipients 

Our Iqaluit Scholarship is given annually to one student graduating from Inuksuk High School in Nunavut. The student is selected by the teachers at the school for this award. The award is $1,500 per term for one year. The student must submit to us a personal statement outlining the student’s plans for university or college, community involvement, high school interests, academic strengths, athletic abilities, family support, long term goals and any other relevant information to illustrate that they are a good candidate for the award, and are likely to succeed at college or university.

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Our most recent recipient is Lerena Ashevak. Lerena is passionate about the environment and plans one day to study Environmental Science at Acadia University. She realizes that “keeping our wildlife healthy is essential to our culture and Inuit way of life.” Lerena deferred her university acceptance in 2020.

Lerena joins our small but mighty group of Iqaluit scholarship recipients from previous years.

Cassidy-Ann Netser- 2019 recipient, is studying at Dalhousie University, currently in her second year. She continues to receive this scholarship from UWC Toronto. (Photo below left.)

Emily Ann Niego - 2018 recipient, was studying in Ottawa, and left school in 2019. (Photo below centre.)

Anna Lambe - 2018 recipient, has been studying in Ottawa (though took the fall of 2019 off for filming and traveling). Anna continues to receive this scholarship from UWC Toronto. (Photo below right.)

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Residence award

The UWC Toronto is providing financial assistance, by covering residence fees at Innis College, to a young woman from a background of need.

Jane & Susan present a cheque to Innis College Principal Charlie Keil & Ennis Blentic

Jane & Susan present a cheque to Innis College Principal Charlie Keil & Ennis Blentic

OUR INNIS COLLEGE STUDENT – Alice Cheng

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Alice Cheng is the very deserving award winner of the UWC Innis College Award. Alice is a brilliant student, an environmentalist and an award winning activist on climate. We are thrilled to support her. - Susan

Alice was profiled in the magazine Canadian Immigrant, starting with the paragraph
“She’s an environmentalist, a woman’s rights activist and a passionate volunteer. As an up-and-coming influencer, Alice Cheng is active on social media, but her posts aren’t necessarily what you’d expect from today’s Generation Z. While she may write with a youth audience in mind, she calls it “amplifying local and global issues through a sustainable lens.”

For the complete article click here https://canadianimmigrant.ca/living/women/inspiring-influencers-featured-in- this-years-immigrant-women-of-inspiration


past recipients


UWC (Toronto) Foundaton

 
Marianne Anderson, President UWC (Toronto) Foundation

Marianne Anderson, President UWC (Toronto) Foundation

The UWC (Toronto)Foundation  was founded in July 2018 and received its charter December 31, 2019. 

The board members of the UWC Toronto Foundation are:

Marianne Anderson, President

Christine Ward ,Vice-President

Kathy Nolan-Garner, Treasurer

Penny Vincent, Secretary

Doris Geddes, Director

Susan Freeman, Director

Leslie Giroday, Director

The UWC (Toronto) Foundation is responsible for giving financial awards, scholarships to young women and girls who wish to pursue a university education.  The University Women's Club of Toronto states that it will always recognize and fulfill its mandate through the work of the Foundation to help provide educational opportunities for young women with excellent marks, community involvement and financial need.  The Foundation is obliged to award in a timely manner as much of its funds as possible each year to deserving students.

Our Awards

In 2023 the UWC (Toronto) Foundation will award nine scholarships of $6000 to deserving young women from 17 central Toronto high schools. 

We are presently supporting three $3000 scholarships each year for four years to students from Inukshuk High School in Iqaluit. This will be changed to a one time $5000 award.

An Innis College Student is awarded a $5000 residence scholarship in the belief that the community provided by the year in residence will be of great benefit throughout the university life of the student.

Two young women who have aged out of foster care with the Children's Aid Society each receive $5000 annually for four years.

We have also awarded the Mary Macdonald Scholarship for the past four years to four young women who each receive $25,000 over their four university years thanks to the generosity of Mary's family.

The University Women's Club transfers $50,000 annually from the club to the Foundation.  This is augmented each year during our Christmas fundraiser through personal contributions.