Anchored in Hope: Leonard and Doris Clarke Memorial Fund
The Leonard and Doris Clarke Memorial Scholarship and Awards support Bell Island’s youth in shaping their tomorrow.
St. Michael’s Regional High School is in the heart of Wabana, a small town with a population of fewer than 2,000 residents, situated amidst the windswept landscape of Bell Island, just off Newfoundland’s coast. A scholarship at the school encapsulates the very essence of what it means to be a part of Bell Island: the indomitable spirit of its people, the value of community, and the innate desire to create a better future for generations to come.
Nurturing Dreams and Ambitions
Principal Jasmine Brazil – a Bell Island native and a proud St. Michael’s graduate herself – champions her students’ dreams and ambitions, all the while empathizing with their challenges and the significant hurdles they encounter. “Bell Island is a wonderful community, but we face the challenges of a dwindling population and limited access to amenities,” Brazil explains. “The cost of living is at an all-time high, so you can only imagine the struggles our students wishing to attend postsecondary school face today. Either they are working part-time jobs, taking out large student loans, or both to survive.”
The Leonard and Doris Clarke Memorial Scholarship and Awards
This is where the Leonard and Doris Clarke Memorial Scholarship and Awards, a bequest from the late Clarke couple that bears testament to their community dedication, comes into play. The $2,500 scholarship and five supplementary awards applaud academic achievement, with a focus on kindness, compassion, empathy, hard work, and determination. Doris and Leonard chose a spend-down model for their funds, ensuring that all their resources are used over the course of 20 years to support the scholarship and awards.
