Northside Lethbridge Dodge has honoured one of its own by making a generous gift in support of post-secondary education and Lethbridge College. Today, the company and college announced a gift of $100,000 to create the Rita Simons Memorial student awards.
Rita Simons was the mother of Diane Simons and the grandmother of Northside Lethbridge Dodge general manager Russell Gallant. A total of eight Rita Simons Memorial Awards, worth $2,500 each, will be presented annually:
- Four awards will be available annually to students in the Automotive Service Technician, Carpenter, Electrician or Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship Training programs;
- One award is available annually to a student in the Automotive Systems program;
- And three awards are available annually to students in any program with a focus on First Nations, Métis or Inuit students, mature students or students who are single-custodial parents.
“These awards are a perfect way to honour my mother, who possessed a strong work ethic, a dedication to community involvement and a passion for caring for others,” says Diane Simons. “She wasn’t able to get her education at a young age, but returned to school at the age of 55 and graduated with honours in health care. We want these awards to give opportunities to others who share her passion for education.”
Each year Lethbridge College students receive more than $1 million in student awards, helping to ease the financial stress that can come with receiving a post-secondary education. Northside Lethbridge Dodge joins a long list of donors who are helping to make education more accessible for students.
“It is very meaningful that Northside Lethbridge Dodge has decided to support student awards in the name of Rita Simons,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “Our students are at the heart of everything that we do and this generous gift will truly affect the lives of the individuals that receive them.”
Northside Lethbridge Dodge is funding the awards as part of its 12 Months of Charity initiative. Launched in 2014, the campaign has now donated more than $1 million to a wide variety of charitable initiatives across southern Alberta.
“We are proud to be a part of the Lethbridge community and to see the effects of our campaign throughout the community is truly heartening,” says Russell Gallant. “Supporting Lethbridge College is a natural fit as many of our employees have been trained at the college, and I am most excited that my grandmother’s legacy will go to help students, as that is what she truly would have wanted.”
Northside Lethbridge Dodge has previously supported Lethbridge College as part of the Lethbridge Auto Dealers Association, which donated $1 million to the college as part of the Possibilities Are Endless campaign in 2011.
Opened in 2007, Northside Lethbridge Dodge is a locally owned new and used vehicle retailer, specializing in customer satisfaction through the lifetime you own your vehicle. From sales to service