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Father-daughter dance will fund scholarship

In honour of woman killed last year

The Whistler Children’s Centre has created a scholarship fund in memory of one of its teachers who was killed in a car accident on the Sea to Sky highway last fall.

"Sarah McSeveney was really an important and long-term member of our staff and she herself was a life-long learner and we really just wanted to honour her," said Julia Black of the Whistler Children’s Centre.

"(We wanted to) make sure there was a lasting legacy in the Sea to Sky corridor because she was very generous with her time and her commitment to the children and their families as well as to other volunteer organizations in the corridor."

McSeveney, 31, worked as Head Teacher in the Daisies Infant Program for three years and throughout that time she was a fervent advocate for high quality early childhood education and had a thirst for knowledge, said Black.

"She was a leader within in our organization," she said.

"(McSeveney) was an academic herself and really wanted to provide an opportunity for continued development of early childhood development within the corridor and this might remove some barriers for other students to pursue a career in early childhood development."

The goal this year is to provide a scholarship of a minimum of $875. It will be funded through the WCC’s annual Father Daughter Dance, this Saturday.

"I have spoken with her family and they are really excited about it and feel honoured that we would do this as well," said Black. "We really wanted her memory to continue."

Applications for the scholarship can be given to the staff at secondary schools in School District No. 48. The first grants from the Sarah McSeveney Scholarship Fund will be announced on June 3, 2006.

The fund will be managed by the Community Foundation of Whistler, a charitable organization that serves the Sea to Sky corridor. It currently manages 24 different funds including three scholarship funds. To date the CFOW has received over $2.7 million from individuals, businesses and other charities and directs investment earnings to projects that help improve the quality of community life in the Sea to Sky corridor.