United Way money saves student's year

By Michelle Jondreau

jond0001@algonquincollege.com

Faced with financial obstacles too difficult to overcome, single father Don Burns felt like he had hit a brick wall when he ran out of OSAP and there was no economic help in sight.

“The next step was literally me dropping out of school,” said Burns.

The police foundations student said he was near the end of his rope when he heard from student success specialist Patsy Pyke about the Plant Some Roots bursary, which is funded by the United Way.

“The bursary is really for students who have exhausted all other financial avenues,” said Pyke.

Since bursaries do not have to be paid back by students, charitable organizations such as the United Way are the only way they can receive money.

Tess Porter, who is part of the United Way team, said she felt fantastic about being a part of it all because even raising a dollar is a great accomplishment if it is raised for bursaries which can help students in the long run.

“I could not have continued without it,” said Burns.

New to the United Way website this year is a feature called Lives Changed, which allows people who are interested to see how the charity has helped the Algonquin community.

“The team wanted to let donors know where their money is going,” said Porter. “It provides a way for people to connect.”

Acting human resource officer Joanne Venne is an Algonquin staff member who was appreciative of the help given by the United Way. During the summer and towards the beginning of fall, her mother-in-law, who was diagnosed with cancer, was sent to the palliative care unit in the Elisabeth Bruyere hospital. During her time there, she received the best quality in care and attention because the United Way continually provides resources to the hospital.

“The staff there treated her like royalty,” said Venne. “The preparation for her death was really incredible.”

Without help from the United Way, Venne said there is no way she could have received such care. On Sept. 20 of this year her mother-in-law died, but Venne said she will always be grateful of the services provided by the organization.

As for Burns, he said he was looking forward to graduating with honours from his program this December.