Sharbot Lake Legion presents bursaries to deserving GREC students

Craig Bakay | Jun 20, 2018

In what was easily the largest crowd at the Sharbot Lake Legion in recent memory, GREC students Corrie-Lynn Shields and Destanie Lalonde received $500 cheques to help them with their post-secondary educations.

The fact that there was a steak dinner and the proximity to Father’s Day on Sunday likely contributed to the size of the crowd.

Patty Middleton, branch honours and awards chair and youth education, presented Shield and Lalonde with their cheques.

“We’ve been giving bursaries to deserving students for as long as I can remember, more than 30 years,” Middleton said. “Of course, the cheques weren’t as large back in those days.”

Both students were appreciative and humble about their awards.

“Thanks to everyone at the Legion,” said Lalonde.

“They’re very generous,” said Shields.

Shields, who’s a victory lapper at GREC, will be heading off to Fleming College in Peterborough this fall for a year of health services education before entering the paramedics program.

“I’m squared in on it (becoming a paramedic),” she said. “I became a lifeguard and that’s when I knew what I wanted to do.”

Lalonde will be heading to Nipissing University in North Bay to study criminal justice, with an eye towards becoming a criminal investigator or criminal lawyer.

“Since I was seven I wanted to be a police officer,” she said. “I chose Nipissing because it’s much like this area.

“It’s beautiful there.”

The girls agreed that the thing they’ll miss most about going off to school is their dogs.