"A Major Surprise and Blessing:" Donor support helps Laurier students continue doing what they love

For Serenity, a fourth-year Human Rights and Human Diversity student at Laurier, higher education is a path to making a positive impact on her community and the world around her – but staying on that path has been challenging.

As a single mother, Serenity’s first priority is her family. But her dream is to make a positive impact in her community, advocating for others and helping people navigate complex systems.

“I have always been the one to lend a helping hand and think from the heart as much as possible,” she says. “I just had to learn that accepting help and blessings from others, including strangers, is okay.”

Serenity is one of two recipients of the Hogarth Family Foundation Bursary in the 2023/24 academic year. The bursary provides support for Indigenous students at Laurier while honouring and encouraging their effort and commitment to their studies.

The bursary came at the perfect time for Serenity, who lives out of town and commutes to Laurier’s Brantford campus to attend her classes.

The Hogarth Family Foundation Fund at Hamilton Community Foundation has a deep commitment to giving back to their communities, including Brantford and the surrounding areas. The fund builds on the vision and values of Pioneer Energy founder Murray Hogarth, supporting children and youth programming, health care delivery and educational opportunities in the communities they serve. Hogarth held a firm belief that one individual can have a major impact on a community, and that making a difference in one student’s life can have a ripple effect that benefits whole communities.

In 2021, the foundation gave $50,000 to establish the Hogarth Family Foundation Bursary at Laurier, which provides bursaries to two Indigenous students per year for five years. The bursary provides relief to Indigenous students in any Laurier program who demonstrate financial need, enabling students to stay in their programs, focus on their studies, reduce their debt burden and build a successful future.

For Serenity, this support enables her to care for her family, attend her classes and stay focused on her goal of making a difference.

“What a major surprise and blessing,” she says. “I promise that when I get on my feet and graduate from my program, that I will make a difference in my community and bless another person the way the Hogarth Family Foundation blessed me. Chi-miigwech means thank you very much in the Ojibwe language – this blessing will always be cherished by my family.”