Dear Kim,
Happy New Year!
On behalf of the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, it is my pleasure to let you know that the amount available for the 2021 Harriet T. Weaver Bursary for a graduating student pursuing post-secondary university or college education will be $900. Positive markets over the past year, coupled with continuing donations to the Harriet T. Weaver Memorial Trust, enable us to make an award this coming year, and at a slightly increased amount over last year.
As was the case last year, the award should be made bearing in mind the criteria found in the Agreement between your school and the Foundation. For ease of reference, I attach a copy of the latest letter of agreement and the Schedule A attached to the letter. You may recall that the letter and the schedule were amended very slightly five years ago. There have been no changes since then.
For further clarification in ensuring a good fit between the intended course of study and the subjects the Foundation can support, which are identified in the attached documents (namely: environmental studies, earth sciences, ecology, biology, zoology, botany, geography or history), the Foundation’s interest is really in the outcome of the university education being supported. Thus, by way of example, while early years in studying for a medical degree may involve courses in biology or zoology, the outcome – a medical degree – is not a good fit with the Foundation’s work. Thus we would not feel comfortable supporting a student planning to pursue a degree in medicine. As a not-for-profit charitable organization, we have to be able to demonstrate that all of our activities, including the funding of bursaries, relate to our mission of protecting natural, built and cultural heritage.
Thus it is conceivable that one year you may find that you cannot make an award.
As you can imagine, it has given the Foundation’s members pleasure to make this award to one of your students in each of the first seven years of its being available, other than in 2018 when indeed we did have a year in which your school was not able to make an award due to the absence of a candidate with a suitable fit in terms of subject to be studied. (I should note, parenthetically, that we greatly respect that decision in 2018.) We look forward to being able to continue making this award. It appears to have resonance with the community.
With best wishes
Simon Miles
Secretary to the Board
Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation
416-466-8793
