Dr. Stewart Holmes Scholarship Fund

By Adrienne Mason

2020 marked an astounding 35 years of the Dr. Stewart Holmes Scholarship Fund. Over the years, the scholarship has been awarded to 179 students pursuing a field in various health care fields. The annual general meeting was held on April 19 this year, and committee members are excited to be entering into the 36th season of this worthy scholarship.

Any student from Dr. Holmes’ former practice area enrolled in full-time health care studies is welcome to apply for this scholarship. The South Saskatchewan River borders this area on the south, Elrose on the east, Eatonia on the west, and the #7 Highway in the north, including Eston, Elrose, Kindersley, Kyle, and Brock. Applications are observed by a selection committee and are awarded based on a list of qualifications. Although challenging to accomplish this year due to the pandemic, one category that is admired is volunteerism. If volunteerism was difficult for applicants to complete this year, students are still encouraged to apply.

Generous donations from near and far fund the scholarship. Every year the committee hopes to award the scholarship to as many students as possible, and it is only possible to do with the community’s help. The recipients of the scholarship are invited to a tea in honour of their award and dedication to pursing a career in health care. Due to the pandemic, the tea was cancelled in 2020. This year, the tea has tentatively been booked for November 20.

This is also the largest fundraising event that the committee puts on; however donations are gladly accepted at any time, especially since the tea was cancelled this past year. If you would like to help fund the scholarship, please contact the committee at drholmes.scholarship@gmail.com.

Applications can be found on the Town of Eston website at eston.ca/education, and the deadline to apply is September 15.

Last year, eight scholarships were awarded for $3000 each.