'It was a tough year for them': Couple gives $500 to every Grade 12 student in B.C. school district
A Kelowna, B.C., couple is giving $500 to every Grade 12 student in the region’s school district.
Initially, the couple tried to remain anonymous, but later came forward to share more on why they made the gift, which comes out to more than $1 million, reports Castanet News.
Lance and Tammy Torgerson, who are giving the money to students in School District 23, no strings attached, said they have seen firsthand how difficult COVID-19 restrictions have been for high school students.
“Our oldest is (graduating) from Grade 12 and they are never getting back the year they lost," Tammy said.
"When you're from a small city, you have friends all over the city, the kids are all connected through the high schools, just to lose those opportunities on sports teams and the parties and everything that goes along with it. It was a tough year for them."
She and her husband – who’s a well-known business person in Kelowna – had earmarked $1 million for a donation, and the numbers worked out well to give a $500 chunk of cash to each Grade 12 student.
In a letter to students, the couple suggested that teens use the money as they please, but they also gave some parental guidance.
“Please use these funds where you see fit, whether it be put towards your education, tools or personal protective equipment for the trades, or mental health needs.”
Tammy says they chose the public school system because both of their children went to public school and they felt that those were the students who needed it the most.
Letters have been sent home to parents to collect banking information for the money transfer. Students have until June 23 to register, however it will be several more weeks before the money is distributed.
"I remember being 18 and if somebody gave me $500 that was like, 'Oh my gosh, it's incredible.' I know they're going to appreciate it and put it to good use," Tammy said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.