Thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park, a new $3,500 scholarship — the Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park Award — has been created at Olds College of Agriculture & Technology to encourage students with a passion for food sustainability.

Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park’s generosity helps ease financial stress

On May 3, Dorothea Schaab and Stan Cichon from the Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park came to Olds College campus to present a cheque for the brand new Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park Award. Olds College President, Dr. Ben Cecil, and Vice President of Development, Todd Ormann, were thrilled to welcome Schaab and Cichon to campus and thank them for their generosity to future Olds College students. The Rotary Club representatives also had the opportunity to take an Olds College tour around campus and the Smart Farm.

“We’re thankful to the Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park for investing in our students and their education at Olds College,” says Dr. Cecil. “The generosity and support of our donors and funders helps provide Olds College students with the education and skills they need to succeed. It takes such a burden off our students when donors can help eliminate financial stress, which allows our graduates to focus on the projects they are passionate about and become leaders in their communities and industries.”

Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park Award

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the new $3,500 scholarship will be awarded to one fortunate student in the Agricultural Management Diploma. The scholarship will continue to be awarded consecutively for three years, bringing the Rotary Club’s total donation up to $10,500.

“Creating sustainable food sources is a cause that Rotary supports,” says Dorothea Schaab, chair of Scholarships and Bursaries, Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park. “The Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park, through its scholarship to Olds College, is encouraging students to make a difference in people’s lives by developing this emerging agriculture resource. Rotary's theme for this year is Create Hope in The World. In this age of food shortages and rising food costs, a reliable and sustainable source of food is a basic need. Through the financial contributions of many Rotarians, we are able to improve the health of our communities and support the growing field of technology that makes this possible.”

The recipient of this award must be a second-year student in the program and have achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher throughout their first year. The Rotary Club is hoping to award this scholarship to a student who is a primary resident of Calgary and is directing their studies towards food sustainability.

The Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park is excited to hear how the scholarships helped the future students in their studies towards food sustainability. They are also looking forward to inviting the future scholarship recipients to a Rotary Club of Calgary at Stampede Park meeting and luncheon, and would love to hear about a project the students worked on for sustainable food supply.