Jim Bennett, a retired counsellor, community activist, and supporter of Catholic education, has donated $100,000 in scholarships for grads of Holy Cross Regional Secondary School choosing to continue their education.
For Bennett, the significant donation is deeply personal. His son Jerome is graduating from Holy Cross this year and his time there has made an impact on the whole family.
“Through their involvement with the Catholic school system, both Jerome and Jim converted to Catholicism and have strong faith,” said a press release.
“To celebrate Jerome’s successful completion of high school, this endowment has been created to ensure Holy Cross students can continue their personal faith journeys in a Catholic post-secondary institution.”
Bennett contributed $50,000 in scholarships to attend St. Mark’s or Corpus Christi colleges, and another $50,000 in awards for those heading to Simon Fraser University, a post-secondary institution he has been involved with since 2002.
Holy Cross grads, starting with the class of 2019/2010, will be able to apply for awards of $2,500. The Jim Bennett Trust Fund will continue to offer these scholarships in perpetuity.
“I hope news coverage will lead more parents to think about setting up scholarships for students coming out of the Catholic school system,” Bennett told The B.C. Catholic.
“Can you imagine the potential in our Vancouver Catholic School system if future parents and current alumni groups start working to build up a large volume of scholarships? … It would draw students to our schools knowing the changes of assistants post-graduating would be astronomical.”
Bennett started working in Surrey in 1990 as a registered clinical counsellor in the social services field. In 1992, he founded the South Fraser Community Service Society, and for 27 years, he sat on a variety of City of Surrey committees, including as part of the city’s crime reduction strategy delegation. He has also been a board member of Providence Health Care.
In 2002, Bennett received the City of Surrey Social Planning Award and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for community service. In his retirement, he has continued volunteering at home and abroad.
