Established in 1993, the Gloria Rooney Education Support Fund fund honours the memory and social activism of Gloria Rooney who had a lengthy dedication to supporting individuals in need and community grass roots causes.
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The timing for the scholarship couldn’t have been better. I was at a point where I was running out of funds to continue the two year program I was enrolled in, and was just a few months away from graduating with my social service worker diploma. As a single parent who went back to school to get a career and improve upon her life, these funds helped to alleviate the financial stress I had at a time when I needed it most. Getting an education is expensive enough; in addition to the courses there are other expenses like textbooks, transportation and materials. When I got the scholarship I really felt like people believed in me and that I was worth it.
Born in the 1920’s in a small town outside of Ottawa, Gloria’s journey through life opened her eyes to social justice and the inequity people experienced through the lack of improving their skills.
After her death in 1992, the Gloria Rooney Scholarship fund was developed to provide assistance to individuals, particularly women, who wished to improve their skills through education but couldn’t afford to do so.
Gloria Rooney’s legacy lives on through helping individuals improve upon their skills and make a better life for themselves through education. There are many inspiring stories of individuals who received the scholarship fund to continue their college education.