Community Articles (listed by posting date)
General News · 27th November 2025
Tommaso
Today, on a day dedicated to gratitude, we’re honouring the legacy of someone who lived with deep gratitude and generosity and celebrating three young people who carry that spirit forward.
The Cortes Island Community Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 recipients of the Dr. Emily Ellingsen Memorial Bursary ($1500 each):
• Xavier Timo Lee – First Year Engineering, University of British Columbia
• Nadeige Levesque – Fourth Year BA Psychology, Thompson Rivers University
• Charlotte Sirk – Third Year Nursing, Camosun College
These students embody curiosity, service, and commitment to community. We’re proud to support them as they continue their studies and shape their futures.
The Legacy Behind the Fund
The bursary was established in memory of Dr. Emily Ellingsen, whose care for others infused her work, her mentorship, and the way she moved through the world.
Each year, a volunteer group of community members and educators, along with Emily’s family, helps adjudicate the awards. This commitment keeps Emily’s spirit and enthusiasm alive, and her generosity continues to reach students who share a connection to this island Emily loved.
Like many students, Emily relied on bursaries and scholarships to ease financial pressure and help her focus on her studies. Today’s students, especially those from rural/remote communities like Cortes, face even greater barriers. These awards are a tangible act of care: helping remove obstacles so our youth can learn, grow, and thrive.
Gratitude for a Community That Lifts Its Youth.
Since 2010, Emily’s family and friends, donors, and the Cortes School PAC have kept this bursary going. This represents more than a decade of financial support, dozens of students backed, and hundreds of acts of care. This generosity has carried Emily’s legacy forward in a way that continues to shape young lives year after year.
The Cortes Island Community Foundation is honoured to now be a partner in helping grow this fund and thereby be able to support even more students in the years to come. If you feel inspired to contribute, your support is warmly welcomed and makes a real difference. You can learn more about Emily’s legacy, the Dr. Emily Ellingsen Memorial Bursary, or contribute (Canadian and US tax receipts, and gifts of securities, are available): here.
https://cortesfoundation.ca/dr-emily-ellingsen-memorial-bursary/
On this day of gratitude, thank you for supporting our young people.
Together, we provide care for Cortes and for the next generation.
The Cortes Island Community Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025-2026 recipients of the Dr. Emily Ellingsen Memorial Bursary ($1500 each):
• Xavier Timo Lee – First Year Engineering, University of British Columbia
• Nadeige Levesque – Fourth Year BA Psychology, Thompson Rivers University
• Charlotte Sirk – Third Year Nursing, Camosun College
These students embody curiosity, service, and commitment to community. We’re proud to support them as they continue their studies and shape their futures.
The Legacy Behind the Fund
The bursary was established in memory of Dr. Emily Ellingsen, whose care for others infused her work, her mentorship, and the way she moved through the world.
Each year, a volunteer group of community members and educators, along with Emily’s family, helps adjudicate the awards. This commitment keeps Emily’s spirit and enthusiasm alive, and her generosity continues to reach students who share a connection to this island Emily loved.
Like many students, Emily relied on bursaries and scholarships to ease financial pressure and help her focus on her studies. Today’s students, especially those from rural/remote communities like Cortes, face even greater barriers. These awards are a tangible act of care: helping remove obstacles so our youth can learn, grow, and thrive.
Gratitude for a Community That Lifts Its Youth.
Since 2010, Emily’s family and friends, donors, and the Cortes School PAC have kept this bursary going. This represents more than a decade of financial support, dozens of students backed, and hundreds of acts of care. This generosity has carried Emily’s legacy forward in a way that continues to shape young lives year after year.
The Cortes Island Community Foundation is honoured to now be a partner in helping grow this fund and thereby be able to support even more students in the years to come. If you feel inspired to contribute, your support is warmly welcomed and makes a real difference. You can learn more about Emily’s legacy, the Dr. Emily Ellingsen Memorial Bursary, or contribute (Canadian and US tax receipts, and gifts of securities, are available): here.
https://cortesfoundation.ca/dr-emily-ellingsen-memorial-bursary/
On this day of gratitude, thank you for supporting our young people.
Together, we provide care for Cortes and for the next generation.