Rise Above has best year yet

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This article was published 10/12/2019 (2110 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A few years ago, when they were both students at the University of Manitoba, Cara Ginter and Emily Haakman organized a fundraiser to raise money for a one-time bursary, but they quickly recognized a need for an actual bursary program.

Cara’s mother, Starla, joined the duo and together they formed Rise Above, a volunteer-run organization.

Created in 2015, Rise Above provides bursaries to single parents in need of financial assistance. Since then they’ve added board members, incorporated, and successfully registered as a Canadian charity.

“Rise Above is 100 per cent volunteer-run,” explained Ginter, Rise Above’s president. “We keep operating expenses low. This allows us to put most of each donation directly to our bursaries. We are limited only by the amount of donations that come in any given year. We work hard every year, no exceptions, to ensure we can help the greatest amount of people possible.”

Since its inception, Rise Above has distributed over $26,000 through eight full $3,000 bursaries and two partial bursaries, but 2019 has been their best year to date.

“We were able to issue four full bursaries, for a total of $12,000. We hope to continue to grow the number of bursaries we can issue, and the number of people we can reach,” Ginter said.

To apply, individuals must be a single parent with primary custody of their child(ren), be attending or applying to attend The University of Manitoba, The University of Winnipeg, or Red River College, and exhibit financial need. Bursary funds are paid directly to students, and can be used as they see fit.

“Being a parent means limitless unexpected expenses — being a single parent means you have to cover them on your own. We’re glad that we have the opportunity to help, and ease the burden, even a little,” added Ginter.

For recipients, a bursary can mean a world of difference.

“If it weren’t for Rise Above, I wouldn’t have been able to build a brighter future for my daughter and I,” said Amber Ongenae, a 27-year-old student and mother of four-year-old daughter.

The busy professional was leading and facilitating a variety of programs at Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. Because Ongenae had completed the Child and Youth Care certification program at Red River College, she was able to apply to join the University of Manitoba through their access program and was accepted into the Indigenous Community Wellness program in 2015.

“Rise Above has afforded me through their belief in me the ability to not only finish up something I started and help me obtain my university diploma, it means that they’ve also given me the ability to now be transiting into a full fledged bachelor’s degree through the faculty of arts at the University of Manitoba. Their faith in me gives me a strength to draw from as I navigate my way through a life I never even dreamed possible.”

Visit Rise Above Bursaries for Single Parents on Facebook, or their website: www.riseabovebursaries.ca