Royal Canadian Legion District B Bursary
Comrades All
Comrade Mona Eichman has asked me to inform you of some of the details of the Bursary Program.
The Bursary was originally started as a Ladies Auxiliary program with each L.A. required to donate to this project. It was amalgamated with the Royal Canadian Legion Charitable Foundation including registration with the Canada Revenue Agency. This program is well supported in District B with over $33,000, collected at the District Convention in the fall. Both Branches and the Ladies Auxiliary support this program.
The Budget for the 2013-2014 Scholastic year has been set at $450,000 or a total of 900 Bursaries of $500.00 each.
What I am asking you as members of the Legion and Ladies Auxiliary to do, is spread the word to the students out there, that, money is available to them, if they meet the requirements as stated on the applications.
When you take your awards to the schools, mention our Bursary Program to them. A word of mouth campaign will inform the public of all the good work that the Legion does in our communities.
Ontario Command has put the bursary application on the Command web site to make access easier for students. They must fill out the form in its entirety, either by hand or using the fillable form, as they are required to provide eligibility information (Legion / L.A. / Military) and proof of registration (from the School) and that must then be mailed to Provincial Command in Aurora. Online Submissions are currently still unavailable, due to verification requirements and CRA guidelines.
Since a Bursary is awarded based on need, financial information must be included. This information is verified by the applicant by including their OSAP verification forms. We also ask that the students include any additional information that they feel would be helpful for the Bursary Committee while appraising their information and application. This additional information could include volunteer work, school activities and/or participation in the Cadet Programs. This would also be an appropriate section to provide any “special details” regarding the student’s financial situation, i.e. parents make $100,000/ year each; however, they also have 4 other children attending university.
The form itself, if the applicant is a Branch or L.A. member’s child or grandchild, must be signed on the back of the form, under either section C or D, by the President, Membership Committee Chair or the Secretary in order to verify that the person named is a member.
These forms can be filled out by the student and/or member, and these sections should be completed, verified and signed PRIOR to financial information being added to the form. This information is to be kept strictly confidential, and there is no need for the signing officer to be made aware of this, as they are only verifying the membership information.
Once the application is completed and mailed to Aurora, it is then sent out to the District Bursary Committee to approve or deny. They are then sent back to Aurora for the Cheque to be issued by the The Charitable Foundation. However, a letter is first sent to the student requesting proof of their enrollment in the second semester of their program, to ensure the student is still currently enrolled in school. When this proof is returned, only then will a cheque be issued.
Yes it is a long process, but it is well worth it in the end. I do have copies of the Bursary Application available with me at this time or the application and information can be found at www.on.legion.ca/bursaries/bursaries.asp, or under Youth Programs on the Ontario Command Website at www.on.legion.ca.
Repectfully Submitted,
Comrade Jackie Ralston
District ‘B’ Bursary Chair