The Transformational Learning Fund awards its inaugural grant
A new student is at school thanks in part to a Foundation fund. We are proud to announce that the Foundation has awarded our first grant from the Transformational Learning Fund! Stacey Tremblay, from Faith United Church in Courtice, ON, has received a bursary to pursue a certificate of Disability, Inclusive Ministry and Christian Faith at Wilfred Laurier University.
The Transformational Learning Fund was established in 2018 by the MacNeill Family to support individuals enrolling in educational programs who demonstrate an openness to being transformed through their learning experience. Stacey will take what she learns in her courses – which began this month – back to her role as Child, Youth, and Young Family Leader at her church.
Stacey knows that people with disabilities or mental health challenges greatly benefit to the life and work of faith-based communities like her home church, but she also recognized that those people’s unique needs are often not met in those same communities. “My purpose for seeking this opportunity is to help me identify strategies towards greater inclusion to implement moving forward in my community of faith,” she wrote in her application.
As part of that journey, Stacey decided to look for learning opportunities to create a more inclusive environment at her church. She discovered the certificate of Disability, Inclusive Ministry, and Christian Faith at Wilfred Laurier University but needed assistance paying the fees associated with her first course in the program. When we heard her plans to create a more inclusive, sensitive environment at her church, the Foundation knew that we had to help her earn her certificate.
Congratulations, Stacey; we are excited to hear about what you will accomplish with your newfound knowledge and expertise!
The Transformational Learning Fund is only one of many academic and scholarship-based funds overseen and managed by the United Church of Canada Foundation. The opportunities offered by these grants range from continuing studies to exploring new learning opportunities, like Stacey. You can learn more about our academic bursaries on our General Grants Page, and you can also learn more about other academic-related grants on our Scholarship and Research Grants Page.
Do you know someone who would benefit from the Transformational Learning Fund, or any of our other bursaries and awards? Contact the Foundation today and start an application on their behalf.
