Pro-life scholarships offered to high school and post-secondary students
Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association is offering scholarships to students at both the high school and postsecondary levels.
The scholarships are to encourage students who courageously stand up for life from conception to natural death,” Brenda Vroom of Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association said. “All levels of scholarships are for students in the Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association area who have proven leadership in encouraging respect for all human life.”
The scholarships being offered are the Elsie Alexander Scholarships,Henry Vandenberg Pro-Life Work/Volunteer Scholarship, and Laura Stegen Winters Essay Award.
“The Elsie Alexander High School Essay Scholarship is worth $1,000 and the Elsie Alexander High School Work/Volunteer Scholarship is worth $500,” Vroom says. “The Laura Winters Stegen post-secondary essay scholarship is worth $1,000 and the Henry Vandenberg work/volunteer post-secondary scholarship is worth $500.”
Vroom says that the Elsie Alexander Scholarships were established in 1997 and are named for Elsie Alexander, one of the founding members of Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association when it was incorporated in 1977. The scholarship was named after Alexander in recognition of the leadership and many years of dedicated service of Elsie Alexander to the Pro-Life Movement at the local, provincial and national levels.
Alexander, Vroom says, has tirelessly volunteered for the organization for many years, also doing all of the accounting. Alexander is now in her 90’s and according to Vroom, is working hard for the pro-life movement in Saskatchewan.
“She never was able to have children of her own, but wanted to work hard to protect the lives of pre-born children,” Vroom says. “She passed on a legacy of dedication and service to Lethbridge Pro-Life and organized and trained many people and volunteers for many years.”
The Henry Vandenberg Pro-Life Work Scholarship, Vroom says, was instituted in 2017 by the Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association in recognition of Henry Vandenberg’s hard work for the Pro-Life Movement over the years.
“Henry was tragically taken from us in a car accident in November 2016 at the age of 34, leaving behind a wife and four young children and hence, the scholarship was created in his memory,” Vroom says.
Vroom says the Laura Winters Stegen Post-Secondary Pro-Life Scholarship was instituted in 2011 by the Lethbridge and District Pro-Life Association to recognize the leadership and many years of dedicated service given by founding member Laura Winters Stegen to the Pro-Life Movement at the local, provincial and national levels.
“The purpose of the scholarships are to encourage young people to learn more about the pro-life movement and to reward involvement/participation in pro-life activities, voluntary activities in their school, church and/or community,” Vroom says.
The criteria for the scholarships, Vroom states, is straightforward. All students must be living in the Southern Alberta region (from Vulcan/Nanton south to the U.S. border, east to the Saskatchewan border, and west to the B.C border. The high school entrants must be a student in his/her graduating year at a high school, living in the administrative region of Lethbridge and District Pro-Life, and attending a post-secondary institution in the fall. The post-secondary student must be from the same geographical area but can be attending university/college outside of the region.
Vrrom says that students interested in applying can visit http://www.lifelethbridge.org/pro-life-events.html for more information. Once a student has all necessary materials, they can email their application and supporting documents, including reference letters, to lprolife@shaw.ca or mail it to 1801 – 9 Avenue North, Lethbridge AB T1H 1H8. Application deadline is May 18.
“Our scholarships are a great way for students to critically think about why they are here and to articulate their respect for life,” Vroom says.