Amanda Jeffery, Free Press
The Drayton Valley Community Foundation will be helping students who need tutoring but can’t afford the cost.
Thanks to an endowment fund created twenty-one years ago in memory of sixteen-year-old Jennifer Mulligan who passed away, these students will be able get help with their studies.
Rob Mulligan, the president of the foundation and the steward of the Jennifer Mulligan Endowment Fund, says he’s happy they’ve found the perfect project to support.
He says over the years, people have invested money into the fund and those investments have been collecting interest. It’s with the interest on the fund that they can help out those students.
“The deal with an endowment fund is that it’s a way that you can keep someone’s legacy alive in the community,” he says. He gives the example that if someone were to donate $100 today, that money would stay put. The interest garnered from that $100, though, would go on to help countless others for years to come.
“When my sister passed away in 1999, the family decided to start an endowment fund in her name,” says Mulligan. He says that his sister struggled in school and it wasn’t until she was brought to a tutor that she was finally able to succeed. “Through that tutoring, we really saw her develop.”
Mulligan says that was one of the beautiful things about the endowment fund with DVCF. “Because it’s your money, you get to choose the direction in giving.” He says this is what makes it a great way to contribute to the memory of someone from the community.
He says the foundation was approached by a group of teachers, and that was what got the ball rolling. “We’re going to help subsidize people that can’t necessarily afford that tutoring component themselves.”
He says the DVCF does not implement or run the program. Those who wish to access the endowment funds have to apply and DVCF ensures that the funds are going to be used for what they were assigned for. He says the Jennifer Mulligan Endowment Fund will be available to all students in the area.
Becky May, one of the tutors for the program, says she was approached last summer about tutoring in Drayton Valley. She says it’s difficult for tutors to keep their prices reasonable if they have to pay for a space where they can meet with students. In an effort to avoid that, they tend to work out of their own homes, at the school, or other public places.
When the Town heard about that, they told her about an empty room at the Clean Energy Technology Centre that could be utilized. She says the Town isn’t paying anything extra for the room or losing money on it, but because it wasn’t being used they thought that tutoring would be a great idea for the space.
“Using the space for free from the Town is phenomenal. We rave about it every day,” she says.
She says in the past it has been difficult for DVCF to give out the funds from the endowment fund because it has to be used by a charity. Now, with some help, she and the other tutors are able to access that money to help students in need.
“We can offer financial support to anyone who needs tutoring services,” she says. May says it doesn’t matter if families can afford the whole amount or only part of the amount, the fund will help them out.
“From our end as a tutoring classroom, we couldn’t be more appreciative, thankful or grateful of the space the Town has provided us,” says May. She says the families are also happy with the space, saying they like the professional atmosphere. Some of the younger kids, in particular, are excited that they are getting some education at college.
May says the two younger tutors, one who has just recently graduated and one who still attends high school, charge $25 per hour. May charges $30 because she says that after talking to the other teachers in town, they say the community rate is about that much.
She says once you leave Drayton Valley, though, the rate can get very high, very fast. “Looking into Edmonton tutoring, I really couldn’t find anyone that offers what we do for less than $50 to $60 per hour,” she says.
“We just want to get it out there that the community of Drayton Valley works very hard to provide this service,” she says.
May says the learning room is open to any person who needs a place to tutor. If any other organization is looking for funding, Mulligan encourages them to check out the DVCF website at www.dvcf.org.
