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$245,000 AWARDED TO PENHOLD STUDENTS

Ford Family Scholarship celebrates 10 years of community impact

Oct 31, 2024 | 3:57 PM

The Ford Family Scholarship, a fund started in 2014 by Penhold’s Eileen and Stewart Ford to help alleviate the financial burden of post-secondary education, is celebrating its 10th year of operations.

The scholarship was started through the Community Foundation of Central Alberta (CFCAB) by the community-minded Fords, and over its first decade, it awarded $245,000 to deserving students.

Eileen Ford, co-founder of the Ford Family Scholarship, commented, “We were interested in the ability to invest in something that would continue beyond our lifetimes.”

The Ford family believed that education is the basis of success, change, and the chance for a better life, prompting them to create the fund, the foundation notes.

“The impact of the Ford’s generosity and foresight is profound. The impact of this fund extends beyond numbers to the stories of determination and success that have been made possible by these scholarships,” Erin Peden, foundation executive director, said.

“There are powerful stories of students overcoming obstacles, pursuing passions, and embracing new opportunities, all because of one family’s commitment to increasing accessibility to education.”

Since it began, the fund has awarded five to six scholarships of $5,000 each to students graduating from Penhold Crossing School. In 2024, in response to the rising cost of education, the amount was doubled to $10,000.