(A division of the Ron Smyth Memorial Scholarship)
The Committee of the Ronald P. Smyth Memorial Scholarship Fund and the United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern NB Region believe that change starts here in our communities. There is no limit to the potential good that can happen when people reach out to their peers, or when caring, concerned adults enter the lives of young people.
Champions of their community, friends to many and advocates for so many more, *Kim Halliday and *Ron Smyth took every opportunity to get involved in their community and worked to bring out the best in every person and every situation.
Kim and Ron inspired change. They helped improve and build the strengths and assets of the community. They were wonderful mentors and changed lives and our community for the better.
In the spirit of community champions, the committee of the Ronald P. Smyth Memorial Scholarship Fund and the United Way are seeking nominations from community organizations for the fifth annual Kim Halliday Memorial Community Mentorship Scholarship Award (A division of the Ron Smyth Memorial Scholarship).
The candidate who best meets the criteria will receive an award up to a maximum of $5,0001 for one year (up to $2,500.00 per term): demonstrated costs must be documented.
All information must be sent to the scholarship committee by the deadline date of March 24th, 2024.
Over time, it is the Committee’s hope that the recipients of the Kim Halliday memorial Community Mentorship Scholarship Award will collectively represent a strong group of community-minded citizens who recognize the importance of pursuing dreams, providing opportunities to others, valuing life-long learning and giving back to their respective communities.
Please send nominations to:
United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern NB Region office@moncton.unitedway.ca (506) 858-8600
Community Mentorship Scholarship Award 2024 information
How this works
The scholarship will be awarded to a young person or an adult learner who has demonstrated a commitment to learning, strong personal character, and an intellectual desire to pursue a post-secondary education; however due to very challenging financial circumstances this person may be unable or unlikely to pursue this goal.
We are looking for people who have exhibited a spark, a desire that translates into a readiness to pursue their education.
While the Committee recognizes that there are a number of resources available to students requiring financial assistance for educational costs, we feel that there are some adult and youth learners for whom this help is not enough. In building the road to life-long learning, we know that financial stress is not the only challenge to completing post-secondary education. On top of these stresses, often, the potential financial burden on the learner effectively prevents that person from even considering post-secondary education as an option.
How this scholarship is different!
This scholarship requires a unique partnership. Your role is what makes this award different. In choosing to nominate a youth or adult for this award, your organization accepts to be a mentor to this person throughout their studies.
This nomination says as much about the strengths of your organization as the potential and strengths of the young or adult learner. Through your nomination you are committing to support a young or adult learner to realize their potential given the challenges they face.
Why mentorship!
Research and experience have demonstrated the profound positive impact on a person when he or she receives support from three or more non-family adults. Your job is to create and participate in a support team of three! These three people agree to support the learner, to bring perspective, and to demonstrate care and concern. While not a requirement we encourage a candidate from outside of your organization be asked to be a part of the support team. We also recognize that changes can happen within organizations for a variety of reasons; a three-person team ensures that, in the case of one member becoming unavailable, there is still support from two others throughout the year.
Through your nomination of a young or adult learner, you will be investing in an ongoing mentoring relationship, with simple indicators to assess and strengthen the experience:
- a minimum of three support team gatherings throughout the academic year to “check-in” with the learner
- connecting with sister organizations or partners in the community for learners pursuing studies in another region
- semi-annual feedback to the scholarship committee to document what you have learned about mentoring someone, and what contributes to them realizing their potential
- supporting the learner’s access to additional/extended funding opportunities (grants, scholarships, bursaries, programs)
How to select your candidate:
The learner we are looking for:
- Will have a sense of purpose within his or her community and among peers.
- Will have demonstrated a financial need. (This could include such issues as a single parent household, low household income, multiple children in the household attending post-secondary education facilities or other situations which may be causing a financial burden on the family.)
- Will have demonstrated a spark, a readiness to pursue academic studies, a commitment to working to achieve his or her goals, and openness to growth and change.
- (For the young learner) Will have demonstrated a strong academic performance and potential. (This student won’t necessarily have the highest marks in the school, but, as stated above, shows potential. Possibly due to community involvement, scholastic involvement, working to save for school, home issues or other possible situations, his or her marks may not be where they could be.)
- (For the adult learner) Will have demonstrated a keen interest in and commitment to academic studies.
After selecting your candidate, the following will be required:
- Complete the nomination application. The first part is to be completed by the nominating organization, including a description of the strengths and assets of the young or adult learner, as well as the capacity of your organization to play a mentoring role (bullet points are fine!). You will also be asked to describe the composition of your support team, including contact information, and the role each member will play. You may also include additional information as an attached document. The page asking about extracurricular activities and relevant personal circumstances is to be completed by the learner.
- (For the young learner) Transcript of marks (Grade 11 and Grade 12 to date.) If the candidate’s marks are not where they could be for various legitimate reasons, a letter from a teacher or school administrator attesting to their potential may be included.
- Breakdown of expected costs: funds will be awarded to cover actual expenses, not as a single bursary.
Kim Halliday
A champion of her community, a wife and mother, sister and daughter, friend to many and advocate for so many more, Kim took every opportunity to get involved in her community and worked to bring out the best in every person and every situation. Kim practiced the secret to living a full and rich life by giving of herself to others and participating wholeheartedly in the world around her.
She inspired change, attacked social issues head-on and was a mentor and friend to hundreds.
In addition to raising a beautiful family, Kim helped to build the strengths and assets of the community. She lent her talents to benefit many community organizations, from local youth sports to numerous local, regional and national boards and committees including The National Board of The Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.
Under her guidance as Executive Director, The United Way of Greater Moncton and Southeastern New Brunswick was able to reach its first $1 million fundraising goal. Kim then went on to establish her own successful business as a private consultant to non-profit organizations. She helped organize and implement milestone campaigns for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Dr. Carson and Marion Murray Community Centre and Moncton Headstart.
Kim also lent her considerable talents to the Atlantic Coordinating Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety, Mobile 1 Community Soup Kitchen, Community Foundation of Southeastern New Brunswick and Nature Conservancy of Canada, Atlantic Region.
In all she did, Kim was an inspiration to those who were fortunate to call her friend. She knew how to nurture those around her, foster hope where there was none, and so contribute to the full spectrum of family and community life. With ease and grace, she took action, empowered others, and without a doubt changed lives and our community for the better.
Ron Smyth
Ron Smyth was a dedicated and well-respected individual in the lives of those he touched. He led a complete and full life in the short time he was alive. As an active participant in all the arenas of his life he contributed as a father, an educator, and community leader.
The proud father of two children, Ron always encouraged, supported and guided them in their lives. The eldest of his two children, his son Jamie, is a successful stockbroker in New York. He and his wife Ashley have three sons: William Ronald (December 2005) , Connor James (November 2007) and Owen Peter (December, 2010). His daughter Lesley founded Atlantic Wellness, offering free counselling to greater Moncton area youth ages 12-21 who are struggling with mental illness and mental health challenges. Lesley is currently a Licensed Counsellor & Mental Performance Coach at Mindfit and resides in Riverview. Ron’s spirit, laughter and humor lives on within them all.
Ron spent the majority of his career as a teacher but was seen as so much more in the eyes of his students. He would always go beyond the call of duty, selflessly giving of himself to his students. He was always there to provide guidance and always prepared to lighten the mood with a heartfelt criticism or joke. Ron was well-respected and went to great lengths to ensure that his students were confident and well prepared as they embarked on the next chapter in their future – their career. To ensure his student’s success he used the United Way Campaign to teach the application of marketing principles and practices to provide them with practical experience that would benefit them by putting what they learned in theory into practice. His laughter and voice echo in the halls of NBCC, Moncton and will continue to do so for many years to come.
An active community leader, Ron gave a great deal of time and energy to local hockey and the United Way Organization. He believed in giving back and did so with his countless efforts and hours spent volunteering and raising money. In his early days, Ron was a competitive baseball and hockey player. Later in life, his interest in hockey shone through with his extensive involvement in the South Eastern New Brunswick hockey officials’ organization. He served as the Zone 5 Chairman, supervising more than 300 officials while building a strong development program for them. Ron took personal interest in the lives of his officials and treated them as individuals. He cared what was happening in their lives and was always willing to help with whatever he could. The officials will remember him fondly while keeping his memory alive with a commemorative patch to be worn on the arm of their uniforms. His active involvement in the United Way campaign was of great benefit to the organization. For 6 years he helped them reach their goals with the aid of his students. He lived by example, demonstrating how important it is to volunteer and get involved in your community. The Department of Advanced Education and Training recognized Ron as 1 of only 6 recipients with the Excellence Award in 1998 for his community service. The United Way will miss him and his generous contribution and effort in helping them serve their cause.
Ron will be fondly remembered by the many whose lives he touched. His memory and spirit will live on in the hearts of his children, the halls of NBCC, Moncton and the many arenas of Southeastern New Brunswick.