Soroptimist International of Courtenay presented a pair of Live Your Dream Awards at the club’s 75th-anniversary function earlier this year.
Soroptimist’s Live Your Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women assist women who provide the primary financial support for their families. The awards give women the resources they need to improve their education, skills and employment prospects.
This year’s recipients are Courtenay Disher and Dana Dixon.
Disher is studying at North Island College for her bachelor of science nursing degree. She expects to complete the program in June 2022. She is looking forward to becoming a registered nurse, and is considering continuing her studies to gain a graduates degree, to become a nurse practitioner, which is another two years of study.
She is a single mom with two young daughters aged three and two. She has obtained student loans to earn her degree but is working approximately 25 hours a week in an effort to owe minimal amounts at the end of her schooling. The Live Your Dream Award will help her with costs, and allow Disher to spend a little more time with her daughters and take some of the stress away. As she is the primary parent, she says she can truly show them the importance of hard work, dedication, and passion and how these qualities will help contribute to any and all success they have in their life.
Dixon is studying full time in the health care assistant program at North Island College. She is completing her studies this spring. The award helps Dana in her studies as she works to have a steady income for her family. She is a single mother with a 12-year-old son a seven-year-old daughter. She hopes that her children will see all the hard work she is doing to succeed for her family and know how to succeed.
“Dana knows she can take on whatever life throws at her,” said club president Jean Violette, in a press release. “We are very pleased to be able to help her with this award.”
The Soroptimist International of Courtenay is most appreciative of a BC Gaming Grant for funds to support these two awards.