This letter and photo was sent by email to many of you just before February 3rd - we thought we should also post it here, so people we missed can see it too.

_______________________________

Dear friends and family,

As we approach this anniversary, we wanted to get in touch and thank all of you for your support over the past year, and also provide an update on the fund established in Emily’s name to which many of you have generously contributed.

Before leaving on her South American journey, Emily completed her student teacher practicum at Hastings Park Elementary school, in a fairly low-income and culturally diverse part of Vancouver. Since the school had limited resources for extra-curricular activities or supplies for student teachers, Emily drew on her own earnings (from after-school work in various jobs) to purchase materials for teaching. She also unhesitatingly helped out when students didn’t have enough to pay for field trips or other activities. When we decided to create this fund in her name, we thought it would be appropriate to help support other new and trainee teachers in similar situations. We hope that both the teachers who receive these funds and the students they encounter will be inspired by this experience, and go on to share their inspiration and achievements with others as Emily did.

Over $36,000 has been donated to the Fund which is managed by the Vancouver Foundation. The interest will be distributed by the UBC Faculty of Education in annual awards. The first applications are in, the selection process and award distribution will take place over the next few weeks, and we will get in touch with donors again later this year to let you know how the first process worked. We have attached the application form to the “Emily Longworth Memorial Award” below, for your information.

Thank you again for all your visits, phone calls, letters, cards and emails. Your encouragement and friendship have been a tremendous help over the past 12 months. Please do continue to stay in contact.

Kind regards,

Tom, Connie and Katie

The “Donate Now” box has a search function which will get you to her fund.

___________________________________________

(We wanted to create a simple application and review process which would not place an admini-strative burden on new teachers. Many thanks to Dean Tierney and staff at the UBC Faculty of Education and at the Vancouver Foundation for their assistance with logistics.)

The Emily Longworth Memorial Award was established in memory of Emily Longworth, a teacher candidate who was an inspiration and role model to her students. The awards are made to teacher candidates in the Bachelor of Education (Elementary) program whose practica involve implementing curriculum enrichment and/or extra-curricular activities for their students that promote multicultural understanding, healthy lifestyle, environmental awareness, and inspire students to achieve their full potential in life.  Teacher candidates whose practica will take place at schools in less-privileged environments are particularly encouraged to apply for this award.

Grant Description:

Funds of up to $2000 are available to support projects that will take place during the extended practicum of teacher candidates in the Bachelor of Education, Elementary options. The project must be completed within the term of the practicum and must be designed and directed by the teacher candidate submitting the application. Any proposal must have the support of the Faculty Advisor, the School Advisor and the Principal of the school. All school and school district policies and procedures with respect to field trips and/or project approvals must be observed.

Application Deadline:

Completed applications including a detailed budget required to undertake the activity must be delivered to the Teacher Education Office, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC by the end of normal office hours on or before January 30. Completed applications will be reviewed by the Award Selection Committee and recommendations for awards will be made to the UBC Student Financial Assistance and Awards Office by February 15. This office will inform successful applicants and provide the funds to be picked up at that office.

Reporting:

Successful applicants will be required to prepare and submit a report to the Vancouver Foundation describing the activity as it occurred and documenting the learning that took place as a result of the students’ participation. The report should be concise and may include photos or other artifacts directly related to the children’s participation. A final budget detailing actual expenditures shall be attached. Any surplus remaining from an approved grant after the conclusion of the project shall be given to the school, c/o the school principal, to be used for the benefit of children in that school. When preparing a final report the teacher candidate is encouraged to make recommendations concerning any aspect of the process used in making the award or concerning ways to increase its effectiveness for children.

Report Deadline:

For individuals participating in the 12 Month option – the deadline for submission of the report shall be July 15 of the same year

For individuals participating in the 2 Year option – the deadline for submission of the report shall be December 15 of Year 2.

Information Sharing:

Teacher candidates who submit an application agree that the outline of their proposed projects may be shared with the family of Emily Longworth for their information. They further agree that, if funded, the final report on the project may also be shared with the family.