Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship Awarded to Four BC Students

Vancouver, BC- The Canucks for Kids Fund (CFKF), in partnership with Trevor Linden, is proud to give the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship to four outstanding secondary school graduates from across British Columbia. The scholarship, consisting of $2,500 dollars, is awarded to students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership through a commitment to affecting positive change in their communities through various initiatives. Since the scholarship was first introduced in 2008, the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship has awarded $90,000 to 36 graduating students throughout British Columbia.

"In judging scholarships over the years, I continue to be amazed by the level of growth in community involvement by students across British Columbia," said Trevor Linden, Canucks President of Hockey Operations. "The inspiring work they do is a great example for others to follow."
"It is a privilege to announce the 2018 recipients of the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship," said Alex Oxenham, Canucks for Kids Fund Executive Director. "Each of this year's winners possesses strong leadership qualities and a commitment to serving their communities. As an organization we are excited to support their post-secondary goals."

2018 Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship Recipients:

Roderick "Brody" Butts is a graduating student from Salmon Arm Secondary. Brody embraces his autism and has taken a proactive approach to continually learning about his unique perspective. He has also taken initiative to make his difference a learning opportunity by educating others around him about autism spectrum disorder. Brody's interests include indigenous ancestry, lab sciences and health & fitness, all of which show his love for life, public speaking and engaging with the community. Brody hosted a public health conference at his school where healthcare professionals were invited to present and educate the community specifically on mental illness, eating disorders and the importance of equality. In the fall, Brody will be attending the University of Northern British Columbia where he plans to major in Chemical Biology and minor in Psychology on top of continuing to share his passion of educating others to make his community an inclusive and safe space for all.
Hannah Le Bouder graduating from Sir Alexander Mackenzie School in Bella Coola has been named as a Trevor Linden Scholarship recipient. Hannah has witnessed the results of intergenerational trauma as well as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse in Youth regularly. In wanting to make a difference in her community, she has taken a proactive approach by forming a non-profit Youth Peer Counselling Education Group focused on creating a safe space for fellow students that may be struggling with mental health challenges. In addition, Hannah approached the local Child and Youth Mental Health Action Team with a plan to alleviate some of the issues surrounding mental health. Coming from a small community of only 2000 people with limited resources for mental health support, she successfully won a grant from Vancouver Coastal Health which she used to increase the level of resources for those who needed extra support. In the fall Hannah will be attending the University of British Columbia in pursuit of a bachelor of science degree.
Luke McKenzie is a graduating student from Carson Graham Secondary in North Vancouver. Throughout his high school, Luke has given much of his time not only to helping others locally but also abroad in places like Ghana, Africa. For Luke, this passion for helping others abroad started in 2014 after reading the hardships that his pen pal endured. He then came across an article about a teacher in Ghana who struggles to help his students graduate given the under-funded Ghanaian public education system. Along with some help from friends, Luke set out to raise money to pay for their pen pals to attend high school by hosting a relay triathlon, Tri4Ghana. The event raised $42,000 which granted sixteen Ghanaian students with high school education. In 2018, Luke was notified that the last five students had run out of funds to complete high school which prompted him to coordinate a new campaign, Tri-Agan4Ghana. In the fall, Luke will be pursuing a Business degree at the University of Victoria where he plans to learn new skills to help others in his community and beyond.
Qi "Ken" Zuo graduating from South Kamloops Secondary has been named a 2018 scholarship winner. Ken has dedicated much of his extracurricular time to volunteering, specifically, as a founder of a city-wide non-profit volunteer club, Kamloops Youth Volunteers (KYV). Ken's volunteer club began with one school and twenty members, but would later grow to include three Kamloops schools and 100+ volunteers. Ken spends hours networking with dozens of organizations and plans all the volunteer visits. Ken has been known to be the 'go-to' student at his school, accepting all tasks given to him by his teachers and peers and ultimately striving to leave his school and community better than when he arrived. Beyond the KYV, Ken is also a member of his student city council and volunteers at the local hospital on top of continuing to work at his badminton game. In the fall, Ken will be studying at the University of British Columbia in pursuit of a combined bachelor of science degree.
The Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship
is one of the numerous Canucks for Kids Fund educational initiatives that resources are dedicated to. Other education programs that the Canucks for Kids Fund supports include the Canucks Family Education Centre, Fin's Friends, Power PLAY, Future Goals - Hockey Scholar and Seventh Generation Club. The Canucks for Kids Fund also generously supports its signature beneficiaries including the Canucks Autism Network, Canuck Place Children's Hospice and BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Since its establishment over 33 years ago, the Canucks for Kids Fund has granted more than $56 million to these and numerous other charities. For more information, please visit
www.canucks.com/cfkf
.