The Campbell’s Bay Lions Club donated $1,000 to the Deborah Smith Scholarship Fund, which is a scholarship that goes towards Pontiac students who plan to go into a registered nursing program after they complete high school.
The funds raised by the Campbell’s Bay Lions Club came through a bingo game held on October 16.
The scholarship fund was founded in the memory of Debbie Smith, a nurse from the area who was killed by a distracted driver while driving home from Renfrew one night after work in 2014. The scholarship is run by Debbie’s sister Susan Smith and her mother Cecile Smith.
“We usually give a bursary of $1,000 to any students that go into a registered nursing program, depending on how many people are graduating,” said Susan about the bursary. However, this year there are no students going into nursing, so they plan on giving the funds to second and third year nurses who have been prior recipients of the scholarship.
“We’re trying to give this a little bit of an incentive for kids to go into nursing,” said Susan, mentioning the current nationwide healthcare worker shortage.
She added that in the past the scholarship has gone to people with a personal connection to Debbie or those who had financial difficulties.
The $1,000 raised by the Campbell’s Bay Lions joins the over $2000 raised by Susan and Cecile Smith for the scholarship fund this year and the over $10,000 raised since the scholarship was founded.
The Campbell’s Bay Lions Club expressed gratitude for community members who donated prizes to the bingo.
This year’s recipients of the scholarship will be named in the coming months.
If you want to learn more about the Deborah Smith Scholarship Fund, you can visit rememberdebbie.com
by Brett Thoms
Campbell’s Bay October 27, 2022
