Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship awarded

Vancouver, BC -The Canucks for Kids Fund (CFKF) is proud to award the Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship to four outstanding secondary school graduates from across British Columbia. The scholarship, consisting of $2,500, 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 $100,000 to 40 graduating students throughout British Columbia.

"Over the years I continue to be amazed by the level of growth in community involvement by students across British Columbia," said Trevor Linden. "The inspiring work they do as leaders are great example for others to follow."
"Please join us in congratulating the 2019 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."
2019 Trevor Linden Community Spirit Scholarship Recipients:
Jasmine Lee is a graduating student from Oak Bay High School in Victoria. After witnessing fentanyl overdoses in her community, she took it upon herself to mobilize her peers to educational resources about the danger of fentanyl use in the Victoria area. She is the Founder of Connect to Care, an organization that educates youth about healthcare and provides social services via workshops and important online resources. Jasmine has been a key player in reducing the stigma around drug addiction and has started conversations around harm reduction, prevention and treatment of substance abuse users. Furthermore, her interest in health care has driven her to volunteer at Royal Jubilee Hospital and to take courses at AIDS Vancouver for Peer Education Leadership. In the fall Jasmine will pursue a degree in Bachelor of Sciences, studying Kinesiology at Queen's University.
Manon (Sandra) Mackasey is a graduating student from Belmont Secondary in Sooke with over 600 volunteer hours. After attending the "Think ReThink Summit at the Bay" in Victoria, she became determined to find a solution to a local problem that was troubling her - the lack of accessible feminine hygiene products for women in homeless shelters. Sandra and two of her peers organized a local drive to collect feminine hygiene products and distribute them across homeless shelters. Her experience has not only made an important impact in and around the community but has also redefined her goals towards helping others feel comfortable in their own community. She has embodied leadership and the empowerment of youth, which is especially notable given the category of support that she focuses on is neither mainstream or comfortable. Sandra will be studying Engineering Chemistry at Queens University starting in the fall.
Brady Lumsden is a graduating student from Walnut Grove Secondary in Langley. At a young age he contracted Lyme Disease and as an athlete who had participated in several sports previously, his activities quickly became limited and he found it difficult to even get out of bed. He quickly learned that helping others was more important than helping himself and he refocused his energy into feeding impoverished students in his neighbourhood. Brady was overwhelmed by the number of students going home hungry after school which led him to start the "Weekend Fuelbag" program. Brady raised awareness for Weekend Fuelbag by attending and speaking at both local and international corporate and non-profit events. As a result, he has inspired his community to turn empathy into action and has raised over $155,000 since founding it in 2016. This has translated into Weekend Fuel bag being able to provide 30,000 meals to hungry students in that time. He will begin a Bachelor of International Economics at University of British Columbia this fall.
Keneisha Charles is a graduating student from Rutland Senior Secondary in Kelowna. As a minority, diversity is very important to Keneisha and her mission is to reduce the stigma and discrimination around diversity while empowering vulnerable students to feel a part of the community. Keneisha launched the Diversity Club at her school, providing a safe space for students to have a dialogue around ability, culture, gender identity, religion and sexuality. Additionally, she actively engages students through events and activities that focus on building awareness, cultivating empathy, and celebrating diversity. She expanded her voice as a youth advocate when she was selected to speak at a TEDx Youth event in 2018. Since then, she has been an important guest speaker at a variety of school district events, one of which included an audience of more than 600 educators at a provincial conference. Keneisha hopes to continue to be a voice for minorities as she begins her Bachelor of Social Work at Ryerson University in Toronto.