Students share learning experiences at RAYS’ AGM

On May 4, board members, committee members, donors and student beneficiaries met for the annual general meeting of RAYS – Resources for Area Youth Success. While it began with a sadness at the passing of Tony Fry, founder and driving force of this project, there was a feeling of gratitude as chairperson Barbara Lemaire described his contributions to the youth of our community. And as the meeting moved on there was a sense of celebration of the founder in the success and outreach for our youth and their descriptions of their experiences.

Lemaire thanked those present for their generosity in commitments, financial supports and social and emotional guidance for our young people. She noted that the current group of youth applicants are still products of the pandemic who had to struggle with interrupted studies, online learning, social isolation and uncertainty, and are successful despite these early challenges.

Lemaire reviewed the focus of a task force put in place to make recommendations for change including:

• Improving donor outreach by searching for new sponsors, and informing the community about student successes.
• Ensuring the application process is fair and easily understood.
• Making good use of technology for both efficiency and ease of application. The bursary committee has developed a streamline application that can be duplicated.
• Cultivating younger people on the boards, committees and as mentors.

Erik Fish, the incoming chair of the bursary committee, spoke about the new applicants and the planned increases to the bursaries to compensate for inflation and extended curricula. Fish also noted that the bursary application is now completely paperless. Applications are already coming in from the secondary schools in our catchment area.

Janet Gilham, chair of the scholarship committee, spoke of the new successful applicants and the improved changes in procedures for this committee. She noted that these students have made a marvellous transition to university life and studies, joining many other RAYS Scholars currently studying in Year 2, 3 and 4 with similar success.

Both committee chairs made reference to the changes invoked by the work of the task force related to the strategic plan:

• A task force of committee reps and board members continue to work on a proposal for the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
• A review of all financial amounts of the awards is underway to ensure that RAYS is responding to the new realities of post-secondary studies.
• School Liaison: Representatives of the Scholarship and Bursary Committees reached out to the guidance departments of area high schools to provide information about RAYS awards and followed up with a visit to do a workshop for prospective applicants.
• The RAYS Student Forum was extended to include those bursary students pursuing degrees at community colleges. Led by RAYS students, this annual summer event aims to provide advice to the newest RAYS award recipients to assist with their transition to post-secondary school studies and life. A lively experience-sharing is considered valuable for all.

Two students then spoke of their experiences:

Ava Hogben, in Political Science at University of Toronto, spoke about the challenges of going from a small community and high school to a sprawling university and city. She admitted to getting lost in the vast campus and city but assured the audience that the experiences had taught her to be self-directed and focused.

Justin Rowbotham, in second year in Computer Science at Western University, spoke of the joy of finally focusing on the very specialization he had wanted to study with more complex technical studies with students of the same interests. He also ended up with a team helping non-profit groups use computerized systems.

In this meeting, Lemaire also thanked Nick Forrest for his many years of service to committees, in particular his leadership of the bursary committee as well as his years on the board itself. Two other volunteers, Christine Jenkins and Ron March, have also completed their time at RAYS and they were appreciated for all their efforts.

While the 2025 Annual Meeting began with the shadows of losing its founder and agent for change, the light of clear growth in the organization’s outreach, the enthusiasm and success of the students, and the new paths for contributing to the community made those present determined to have another good RAYS year.

Contributed photo: Frances and Tim Price with RAYS scholar Ava Hogben.