2012 Grant Recipients

Athabasca University

Athabasca University, Canada's Open University, is dedicated to the removal of barriers that restrict access to and success in university-level study.  Similarly, they offer unparalleled opportunity for aspiring nursing professionals and practicing professionals seeking advancement to gain the knowledge and skills they need to better serve people and to enhance healthcare in Alberta.  Over the past five years, the number of students in Athabasca University's Bachelor of Nursing program who live in Central and Northern Alberta has increased by almost 50%.  These students will become the nursing professionals that people and communities across Central and Northern Alberta turn to for healthcare and leadership in the future.  The EOCF is proud to extend its support for the Nursing Scholarships for the next five years.   
Boyle Street Community Services

For 40 years, Boyle Street Community Services has been dedicated to addressing the needs of people who are homeless, impoverished and marginalized.  Their aim is to serve, support and empower people to take control of their lives and escape the fearful experience of poverty.  The Water Wings Literacy and Employment Readiness Program offers street-involved youth and adults access to Basic Literacy, Upgrading and Pre-Employment courses.  Participants in the basic literacy stream will work to complete everyday tasks involving reading, writing and numeracy with increased confidence.  The pre-employment training component helps graduates of the basic learning or upgrading streams prepare for the workplace, including career planning, driver/s education, resume writing and interview skills.
Camrose Neighbor Aid Center

The Camrose Neighbor Aid Center is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to helping those in need.  The Food for Kids - Breakfast Club Program provides a nutritious breakfast to 350-400 children (ages 5-17) every school morning at five local schools.  In addition, the Center subsidizes meal programs at the Learning Together Outreach School (for young moms and their preschool aged children) and the PACE Outreach School (for youth who do not fit into the main stream education system).  By feeding hungry children and youth in local communities as a primary intervention, children will have the necessary nutrients for a successful day of school.
Concordia University College

The Concordia University College of Alberta Thunder Athletics Program has a proud history of excellence both provincially and nationally at the highest levels, including the Thunder Hockey program.  The Thunder hockey team has been in existence for over 20 years and competes in the Alberta College Athletic Conference, which is a very competitive eight team league.  The players train six days per week, competing every Friday and Saturday night during the school year, in addition to enthusiastically embracing opportunities to work with a variety of charitable organizations.  The grant from the EOCF will support scholarships for players who demonstrate both academic and philanthropic leadership and are in their third, fourth or fifth year with the team.
E4C - Kids in the Hall Bistro

E4C's Kids in the Hall Bistro, located in Edmonton's City Hall, provides the public with good food and excellent service, while meeting the needs of at-risk youth for training in life and employment skills.  This program breaks the cycle of dependence and poverty through an innovative partnership of business and community.  Program clients are inner city youth (aged 16-24) from unstable home environments.  Often they have faced multiple barriers to schooling and employment.  Many have been involved with the criminal justice or child welfare systems, have been homeless, or depend on social assistance.  The Bistro program is geared to tackle the issues that have blocked young people from success.  For participants, including students from Inner City High School, it is an opportunity to gain real experience in a supportive atmosphere.
E4C - Snack Program

E4C is a charitable human services organization providing a multiple and diverse range of services, including Early Learning, Homeless Supports, Housing and Mental Health, Social Enterprise and Nutrition and Community Services.  E4C's Snack Program provides a nutritious mid-morning snack or breakfast each school day to students in high-needs elementary and junior high schools.  This snack ensures the healthy functioning of active minds and bodies.  The program has a highly beneficial impact on the children because the hunger of students is satisfied and they are better able to learn and focus.  The Snack Program is funded entirely by donations and in 2011, provided snacks to 5,188 elementary school students and a breakfast to 476 junior high students in 27 high-needs schools and programs.  The grant from the EOCF will fund the Snack Program at five inner city elementary schools.
Edmonton Inner City Children's Program

Since 1995, the Edmonton Inner City Children's Program has been providing quality recreational and educational programming to children and youth in the McCauley/Boyle Street community.  Their ongoing mission is to foster positive relationships, self-confidence, and skills acquisition in inner children through development and implementation of community crime prevention strategies, partnerships, and other unique programs.   Recognizing the need for supervised, skill-building programming in the inner city, Edmonton Inner City Children's Program has partnered with local schools and other organizations to provide a variety of programs and services.  One of these is Summer In The City which provides children the opportunity to develop leadership skills in three two-week summer day-camps.  Participants will have the opportunity to participate in recreational programming and exciting field trips, with a focus on team-building and leadership enhancement.
YOUCAN Edmonton

YOUCAN Youth Services is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to empowering youth.  They assist young people in developing the skills needed to move out of harm's way, transition into employment or back into education, reduce youth violence and participate actively in youth issues.  Their mission is to equip youth to engage and inspire others to peacefully resolve conflicts and develop healthy relationships in their communities.  In YOUCAN Youth Services Relentless Youth Outreach Project, specially trained, mobile teams of Relentless Youth Outreach Workers travel to community hot spots where at-risk youth gather.  Youth Workers then carry out "interruptions with a purpose" to connect directly with youth and build trusting, meaningful, and long-term relationships.  Simultaneously, the Relentless Youth Outreach Workers are able to support youth in accessing various community services that will meet the needs and wishes of individual youth in a healthy, supportive environment,  Funding from the EOCF will support one of the Outreach Workers for the next three years.

Scholarships in the Community
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