Winkler Community Foundation » Scholarships

Scholarships

 

Leave a Legacy

Grants

Scholarships

The Winkler Community Foundation provides education awards to deserving students from Winkler and the surrounding area. 

Please see the available awards below to see which ones you may be eligible for and key dates. 

GORDON WIEBE EDUCATION AWARDS

Aiden Friesen, 2023 Recipient

Make It a Reality Award

This award is meant to be a game changer: assisting students to overcome barriers to their education. Every year, one award valued at $25,000 is distributed. 

2023 Recipients

Ongoing Education Support Award

This $2,000 award supports more than 13 new students every year and is renewable up to two times for eligible students. 

Amy Neufeld, 2023 Recipient

Gordon Wiebe High School Graduate Award

This $2,000 award is given to deserving students graduating from Garden Valley Collegiate and Northlands Parkway Collegiate. Every year, a minimum of 6 awards are given. Available by applying through your high school student services at GVC or NPC.

KAITLYN MARIE REIMER AWARD

Lauren Wolfe, 2023 Kaitlyn Marie Reimer Scholarship Recipient

Kaitlyn Marie Reimer Award

In honor of Kaitlyn Reimer, one $2,000 award is annually given to a deserving high school student graduating from Garden Valley Collegiate. 

Available by applying through GVC student services.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION - Deadline: February 28, 2024

Day(s)

:

Hour(s)

:

Minute(s)

:

Second(s)

Apply today for a scholarship to help fund your education!

Scholarship applications have closed for 2024. 

Apply For A Scholarship

Tina Reimer, 2022 Make It A Reality Recipient

MAKE IT A REALITY AWARD

$25,000 award

($6,250 per year over 4 years of study)

This award is meant to be a game-changer of an award. The intent is to assist a deserving student to overcome barriers allowing them to pursue post-secondary education. 

* Applications open January 1st annually
* The application deadline is February 28th annually

Who is the Ideal Recipient?

Our Scholarship Committee is looking to meet applicants who have demonstrated commitment to their community, achievement in education and/or a strong capacity for leadership. It is intended to be a game-changer. This award is meant to assist a student in overcoming barriers such as financial, family, health, etc. in completing post-secondary education.

Community is the fabric of our lives. We are woven together by the deeds that we do to serve one another and by our desire to witness our neighbors thriving. Working towards healthy families, schools, work and play spaces gives us opportunities to build meaningful relationships and resilient places to call home. Are you a community-builder? How do you contribute to making Winkler a great place to live?

Leaders seek opportunities to grow ideas into action. By keeping their minds open to positive change, leaders engage and motivate community members to develop their personal potential into something bigger than themselves. Applying their knowledge and skills, leaders build and support networks that benefit the broader community. Are you a leader? How are you working with your peers to make dreams a reality?

Excellence is developed through hard work. With every bit of concentration that we devote to our studies, we expand our minds and we prepare ourselves for a bright future. Scholars are people who focus their curiosity for learning into practices for study and skills for research. Applying this knowledge into a career is one of the greatest honours that we can obtain. Are you a scholar? How do you plan to translate your academic interests into a successful profession?

Students often face a variety of barriers in pursuing and completing their post-secondary education. For some, a lack of support system hinders their goals, for others, it is finances. Let us know how this award would assist you in overcoming the barriers to your education. 

How To Apply

Recipient must be:

  • Entering first post-secondary program
  • Applying to study full-time at an accredited institution
  • From Winkler or the surrounding community
  • Age 16-35
  • Demonstrate community involvement, leadership skills and commitment to scholarship

Please review the terms of the award.

Please complete the online application form: 

2024 Make It A Reality Award Application Form
(Available January 1 – February 28)

Additional Documents Needed:
Please download each of these PDF files to your computer before filling them out to ensure your information is saved.

Submit all additional documents to: 

Important Dates:

  • Deadline: February 28th. You will receive a confirmation email upon receiving your additional documents.
  • You will be notified in April regarding if you have received an interview or not.
  • The award recipient will be announced in May.

 

Indigo Wiebe, Current Ongoing Education Support recipient

ONGOING EDUCATION SUPPORT AWARD

$2,000 award

(renewable available for up to 3 years if eligible)

*Applications open January 1st annually
*The application deadline is February 28th annually

How To Apply

Recipient must be:

  • Out of high school for a minimum of one year.
  • Studying full-time towards a degree, diploma or certificate
  • Studying at an accredited institution
  • From Winkler or surrounding community
  • Age 16-35
  • Demonstrate community involvement.

Please review the terms of the award.

Please complete the online application form: 

ONGOING EDUCATION SUPPORT AWARD Application Form
(Available January 1- February 28)

Additional Documents Needed:
Please download each of these PDF files to your computer before filling them out to ensure your information is saved.

Submit all additional documents to: 

Important dates: 

  • Deadline: February 28th
  • Recipients will be notified no later than June 30th

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Am I eligible to apply for an award?

You are eligible to apply for an award if you answer “yes” to each of the following criteria:

  • You have lived in Winkler and/or the surrounding community
  • You are applying to begin, or are planning to continue, your post-secondary studies in the coming year
  • You will be studying full-time towards a degree, diploma or certificate
  • You will be studying at an accredited post-secondary institution as identified by the Canada Revenue Agency
  • You are 35 years of age or younger
Can I apply for more than one award?

Yes, you may apply to all awards for which you meet the stated criteria. However, we will only grant one award from the Gordon Wiebe Education Fund to an individual within the same granting cycle. This means that you cannot hold more than one award from us at the same time.

What kind of volunteering counts as “commitment to community”?

We are looking at how you have engaged in the community you live, work and play in.

Volunteering can be within your school community, religious community, or the larger community.

There is no requirement in terms of hours of volunteerism. We do consider the “depth” of involvement/investment. Volunteering can be a one-time service or a weekly/monthly commitment to an organization.

Volunteering examples: Student council member, Youth in Philanthropy member, Minor sports coach, accompanying music at an event, School Drama stage hand, portering at Salem Home, monthly service at Central Station.

Where can I find opportunities for volunteering in the community?

Consider what kinds of activities you like to do, what kinds of community places are of interest to you, in what ways you would like to become more active, how much time you have available to give, and who you already know that needs help

Contact groups, teams, organizations and places that made your list of top picks

Ask about opportunities for getting involved and highlight your skills so that people have a good sense of where to place you within their work

It’s also possible to be involved through places familiar to you such as school, religious group, and sports teams

You may have a project idea of your own that you’d like to get off the ground which helps those around you

What if I experience barriers to volunteering?

Our scholarship committee will not count this against you. In the optional essay, please inform us what barriers you face when planning or attempting to volunteer and how you are working through them

Here are some examples of barriers to volunteering:

  • Perhaps you live too far from where you’d like to volunteer and you don’t have a reliable ride
  • Maybe you look after siblings at home while your parents work
  • You’re new to the community and you don’t have many connections just yet
  • Working is a must if you are to save for school, a vehicle or to reach other goals
  • Disability or health issues limit your energy and options for volunteering

Here are suggestions for addressing those barriers so that you can still be involved in your community:

  • Let your desired place of voluntarism know that getting a ride is a challenge; they may be able to help you to arrange a shared ride. Perhaps possible to volunteer somewhere closer to home that you can reach without a ride.
  • Volunteer when possible and let us know that this is the extent of your availability given your required responsibilities
  • It takes time to build a social network. Inquire about opportunities through a local resource such as Regional Connections or Central Station
  • Perhaps you can use your school lunch hours to be involved within your school community rather than off-site and during evenings or weekends
  • Work from a capabilities approach of what you can do to apply your talents. Reach out to organizations that are of interest to you and let them know your parameters for work: e.g. standing for short periods of time, space must be wheelchair accessible, you require a scent-free environment, flexibility is important, an aide will accompany you, etc. Negotiate responsibilities that allow you to succeed
What are barriers to education?

Our scholarship committee wants to know which challenges you face in pursuing post-secondary education. In the essay, please inform us of these barriers as best you can so that we can take this into account when determining recipients. Your responses are confidential and will not be shared

Anything that you think of as limiting your options to pursue post-secondary education is a barrier

Examples of barriers include:

  • Ineligibility for student loans – public and/or private
  • Personal health interferes with education (anxiety, eating disorder, depression, disability)
  • Family circumstances make it difficult to focus on education (separation, addiction, abuse, loss, homelessness)
Who should I ask to provide a reference for me?

The best letters of reference come from people that know and understand an applicant’s commitment to community or academic performance. We recommend that you ask someone who will provide a positive appraisal of your character or volunteer history. Share with them the application information as this can help them in drafting something customized to this particular award, giving them plenty of time before the deadline.

How are award recipients selected?

Our Scholarship Committee is looking to meet applicants who have demonstrated commitment to their community, achievement in education and/or a strong capacity for leadership.

Strong applications describe lessons learned through volunteering.

Tell us how earning this scholarship would help you to overcome obstacles and change your life for the better.

When can I expect to find out if I have been selected as a recipient?
  • Our administrative staff will review your application for completeness and send you a confirmation email in early March.
  • Our Scholarships Committee will review applications in March.
  • Make it A Reality Award finalists will be selected and interviews will be conducted by the middle of April.
  • Make It A Reality recipient will be announced in May.
  • Ongoing Education Support (OES) final decisions will be communicated no later than June 30.
What are my next steps if I am selected as a recipient?

If you are selected as a recipient, we will require that you provide:

  • For recipients entering post-secondary: Copy of your letter of acceptance and most recent transcript
  • For current post-secondary students: Winter semester transcript
  • All recipients: proof of registration for the upcoming school year.

Awards are disbursed to the Institution at the end of August.

PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS

2023 Award Recipients

Make It A Reality Award: Aiden Friesen

Ongoing Education Support Award: Teagan Wall, Nathan Lepp, Rachel Klassen, Holly Adams, Amanda Toews, Evan Xu, Lauren Ens, Daniel Friesen, Kenia Elias, Kristy Funk, John Trinke, Jennifer Siemens, Kristen Hazenbiller

Gordon Wiebe High School Graduate Awards: Amy Neufeld, Kyle Klassen, Destiny Bergen, Carly Unrau, Jaselay Friesen, Jamie Reimer

Kaitlyn Marie Reimer Award: Lauren Wolfe

Returning Award Recipients

Make It A Reality: Mikaela Warkentin, Victoria Maschkin, Tina Reimer

Ongoing Education Support: Indigo Wiebe, Jessica Giesbrecht, Madison Fehr, Patricia Doerksen, Peter Enns, Yekaterina Kuryata, Katelyn Ens, Amy Lloyd, Kali Falk, Erica Lepp, Caleb Vallelly, Cerulean Wolfe, Chloe Driedger, Divine Beghela, Emily Penner, Jakiya Friesen, Kezra Gerbrandt, Matthew Fehr, Michael Neufeld, Ethan Vallelly

2023 Recipients

Receiving this award has been absolutely invaluable throughout my university education. Not only has it made a difference financially, but it has also provided me with a strong network of mentors and similar students through the Peer 2 Peer mentorship program.

Amy Lloyd

Ongoing Education Support Award Recipient

Skip to content