July 12, 2011 - 7:40am
Vancouver Island University students will benefit in a big way from a generous donation by the Pieter de Reuver Foundation.
The Foundation is donating $75,000 to VIU in honour of the institution’s 75th anniversary. The pledge will help provide annual scholarships and bursaries of $1,000 each to 75 students enrolled in various programs.
The announcement was made recently at VIU’s Business Breakfast held in the Parksville/Qualicum region where VIU operates a regional campus.
The Foundation has supported aspiring music students at VIU for the past two years. President Pieter de Reuver decided to increase his donation to help selected students in all faculties.
“Music is one of my favourite things in life and we were quite happy with our partnership with the VIU Foundation and with how the music scholarship program was working over the past two years,” de Reuver said. “So we decided this year to expand our contribution to include more students in a variety of programs.”
The inspiration for the scholarship funding came from seeing students confronted with ever increasing costs for education and living, de Reuver added.
“We truly felt increasing the number of scholarships and bursaries for VIU students was the right thing to do,” he said. “We already have a productive and satisfying relationship with the University and we know that the donated funds are going to a very good cause.”
About a third of the awards will be given out as scholarships in the fall. The remainder will be bursaries granted in spring, when many students need a boost to dwindling resources.
VIU Business Breakfast Chair Bruce Williams said the VIU Foundation is grateful for de Reuver’s ongoing generosity and support of students.
“Pieter’s investment shows true community leadership. His generous gesture will make a profound difference in the lives of our students. He will provide significant support to students as they continue their path to achievement,” said Williams.
This year’s VIU Business Breakfast series is sponsored by Coast Capital Savings. Three breakfast events have been held in Nanaimo, Parksville/Qualicum and Cowichan. A business breakfast is scheduled for Powell River in the fall.
The goal of the VIU Foundation is to reach out to regional communities and grow its asset base to help students achieve their dreams.
To support VIU’s scholarship, award and bursaries program, please contact Susie Caswell, Manager Annual Campaign: susie.caswell@viu.ca or 250.740.6216.
Tags: In the Community
