Bowling for Bursaries: The Merit Award Helps Clear the Lane for Education

TORONTO, May 24, 2013 /CNW/ - On May 28^th, the pins will be set and the shoes laced up tight for an evening of bowling, beverages and ball strikes. Toronto's sports and bowl and rock'n'roll venue, The Ballroom, is hosting this year's Merit Award Bowling Fundraiser, and with 18 teams on the sold out roster, the competition is enough to knock you over.

The evening's strikes and gutters will be raising funds for The Merit Award Bursary Program, which provides bursaries to senior high school students as an incentive to stay in school. The award - now in its 18^th year - recognizes students who demonstrate commitment to their school efforts, from their studies through to working with the community.

Merit Award recipient, Arlene, gave her thoughts on the program: "The Merit Award Bursary was the first ever financial award that I won because of my commitment to school and extracurricular activities… It is a psychological factor that tells students that their work will not go unappreciated."

While the Bowling for Bursaries event is sold out, people can still show their support for the Merit Award by purchasing tickets here for $75. These include food and two drink tickets.

The event will be held on Tuesday, May 28th at The Ballroom, corner of Richmond and John, and will offer a cocktail reception from 5pm, with game time running from 6pm to 9pm. http://bowling.meritaward.ca/

About Merit

The Merit Program was created by several Toronto residents in 1996 and awarded bursaries to 20 individual high school students in the former City of York. Over the years the program has expanded profoundly, the most recent round of awards distributing 150 bursaries to students across 45 secondary schools in Toronto. http://meritaward.ca/about-us

About Brian Smeenk

Brian Smeenk is The Merit's Charity Founder and has been an active Merit board member since the bursary program's inception in 1996. On top of his activity with Merit, Brian is an avid cyclist and has completed both the Ride for Heart and Ride to Conquer Cancer several times. Brian is a Toronto partner at Fasken Martineau in the firm's Labour, Employment, & Human Rights Group.

About Jeff Harvie

Jeff Harvie is Merit's Fundraising Chair and volunteered for the group in 2008. He is Vice President of National Sales for TD Waterhouse Institutional Services. His undergraduate studies were completed at Acadia, and he received his executive MBA from Rotman in 2005.

SOURCE: CNW Group Ltd.

Tabitha Aquino
OLG
Phone: [phone] Ext. 7079
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