SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region “CCAWR” aspires to award three (3) or more scholarships each year to qualified Caribbean-Canadian students. These individuals must reside in the Waterloo Region, of Caribbean heritage and are accepted to attend College or University or a Post-Secondary Institution in Canada.  Our goal is to promote academic excellence, foster leadership skills and encourage community involvement among our young adults.

 

NEW Waterloo Record Article! Scholarships recognize achievements of Black students

 

The idea of a scholarship program was born out of the need to inspire and support the goals and aspirations of our young people of Caribbean heritage in the Waterloo Region, and to recognize the contribution that education has made in our community.  After learning about the drop-out rates in our local school system among our Caribbean Canadian students, Lauris DaCosta and Edwin Laryea drafted guidelines and the criteria for starting a Scholarship Fund in 2002.

This coincided with the vision of the founding chair of the program (Noel Richards) who assembled an illustrious scholarship team of like-minded community individuals.  The first scholarship was awarded in 2003 to Athena Guy for $500. This amount was increased to $750 in 2007 and shortly thereafter we increased the Scholarship Award to its current level of $1,500, and for 2020 we aspire to raise the level to $2,000.

To date, we have awarded 64 Scholarships for over $63,000.

Link to past scholarship recipients

 

The CCAWR has been incredibly blessed to be an integral part of the Kitchener-Waterloo community since it was established in 1973.  In keeping with our long-term vision of uniting the peoples of the Caribbean and to promote cultural, social and economic opportunities within our community, the CCAWR is the proud sponsor of a scholarship program that provides financial assistance via scholarships to our young adults since 2003. Each year we aspire to provide three (3) or more scholarships to qualified and well deserving Caribbean-Canadian students in our region.

Education is the foundation of any productive, democratic, and civil society. Our investment in the knowledge and skills of our young adults is an investment today that will reap exponential benefits for the future of our community and society in general.

As the Chair of the Scholarship Committee since 2018, I am pleased to announce that to date we have awarded over 64 scholarships for over $63,000. We continue to make our mark in this arena as evidenced by the many lives that have been impacted by this worthwhile program and it is very rewarding and reassuring knowing that we have made a difference. Several our scholarship recipients have moved on to higher studies or embarked on illustrious careers and professions because of the financial assistance and moral support and encouragement that they have received from the CCAWR.

Despite our successes, we have a lot more work to be done to:

• Motivate our young who if not encouraged may become dropouts or a statistic;
• Provide increased funding to offset the ever-increasing cost of post-secondary education; and
• Provide leadership, counselling, mentoring, career guidance and focus to the children in our communities.

I challenge you to become part of the solution. Get off the sidelines and bleachers and get on the field of volunteerism and participation instead of being a spectator. Become involved, interested, and integrated. This is our community and we need your time, talents, and financial support to make our future plans a reality.

Thank you to the remarkable sponsors and donors who have supported us over the years. We appreciate your support and look forward to our continued partnership.

We welcome new volunteers and financial sponsors to join us in this effort as we face an exciting future together.

Together we are stronger. 

Nigel Henriques, Chair of CCAWR Scholarship Committee

 

The CCAWR Scholarship Committee team is made up of successful individuals in our community. They are dedicated volunteers that are committed to organizing and delivering the scholarship program. Through their efforts, we are able to raise funds, award scholarships, host the Annual Family Brunch and the Awards of Excellence ceremony.

Please visit the link below to find more about these fantastic individuals:

Link to Scholarship Committee page

 

The Annual Family Brunch held in June, is a signature event that supports fundraising efforts and social networking objectives of the CCAWR Scholarship Program. This is a key event for the program and serves to kick start our annual fundraising campaign and generate revenues to support the program over the course of the year.

For more information about the Annual Family Brunch click Link to Family Brunch.

 

The Award of Excellence ceremony is a jointly hosted event by the CCAWR and the Congress of Black Women of Waterloo Region. This is a crowning event that is put on each September to showcase and recognize the talented students that have received scholarships.

For more information about the Awards of Excellence click Link to Awards of Excellence.

 

We offer a variety of scholarships for students wishing to pursue post education studies.

Click on the button below to find out more about our CCAWR scholarships and how to apply.

Have a question?

If you are interested in supporting the scholarship program, need more information or have any questions please click here to find our more about program.