Scholarships

Chili Thom was a community volunteer and a strong advocate for the arts and culture community. He made a connection between sport, nature, and fine art and captured the spirit of the Sea to Sky with his dreamy imagery and wild at heart perspective. After a courageous and spirited fight, Chili lost his battle with cancer on November 30, 2016.

The Chili Thom Memorial Scholarship Fund was created after a month-long Whistler community celebration of the artist, held in June of 2017. Arts Whistler Presents: The Chili Thom Experience lit up 5 of Whistler’s cultural buildings with Chili’s art and soul: The Audain Art Museum, Maury Young Arts Centre, Whistler Museum, The Whistler Public Library and the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre.

The Chili Thom Memorial Scholarship supports graduating students in the Sea to Sky Community who are pursuing the brave, expressive and divine calling of being a professional artist. Funds may be used toward post-secondary formal education in the arts, to purchase arts supplies, attend workshops, or for other activities that support the applicant’s development in the arts.

Don MacLaurin was a forester and teacher who first came to Whistler with his family in the 1960’s. He was instrumental in identifying and protecting sensitive ecosystems in the valley, particularly Lost Lake Park and the Ancient Cedars. 

Don also played a key role in developing the Whistler Interpretive Forest and designated many of the trails there and elsewhere in the valley including the Musical Bumps trail. He designed and taught courses in forestry, parks and recreation management at BCIT for 24 years and internationally in the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia. He firmly believed that forests should be managed to serve multiple community values, and his influence helped lead to the creation of the Cheakamus Community Forest, a partnership between RMOW, Squamish Nation and Lil’wat Nation.

Don and his artistic wife, Isobel, were dedicated Rotary members and contributed much to the community in a multitude of ways.

Created by long term Whistler residents Doug and Mary Forseth, this scholarship supports graduating students in the Sea to Sky region who are pursuing post-secondary education in fields related to business, tourism, and/or hospitality.

 The Grad Legacy Scholarship was established in 2015 by the 2014 Graduation Organizing Committee at Whistler Secondary School. The committee and graduating students worked hard to raise money for their graduation ceremonies. By the end of the school year, they raised approximately $30,000. After expenses, the students have $12,000 remaining.

One student, Lauren Doak, came up with the idea of creating a scholarship for someone in the school district in financial need.The group decided to use $9,500 to set up the scholarship fund. In 2019, the graduating class decided to add $6789 from their fundraising efforts and plan to challenge future classes to keep the endowment growing. The scholarships will be awarded based on financial need and the desire to go to school, rather than grades.

The Kelty & Riley Dennehy Scholarship Fund was created by Ginny & Kerry Dennehy and the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation in honour of their two children Kelty and Riley. On March 2, 2001, they lost their 17-year-old son Kelty after a short battle with depression. That same year, the Dennehy’s created the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation to help those that suffer from depression as well as their friends and family. Tragedy hit the Dennehy family again in 2009 when Riley died of a heart attack from strong medication prescribed to manage the pain for a separated shoulder. The scholarships generated by the Kelty & Riley Dennehy Scholarship Fund are intended to support students graduating from secondary schools in Whistler. The scholarship will be awarded to students who stand out in unique ways, beyond academics.

 Sarah McSeveney was a beloved teacher at the Whistler Children’s Centre. With her warm and positive demeanor, Sarah touched the lives of many families. Sarah was a lifelong learner, a fervent advocate for high quality early childhood education, and had a thirst for knowledge. Sarah died suddenly and tragically in a car crash in October 2005. Her family, friends and coworkers created a scholarship fund at the Whistler Community Foundation to honour her memory.

 Wendy Thompson was a strong, outdoor-oriented young woman who served as a ski patroller in Whistler, a paramedic with the BC Ambulance Service in Whistler and Vancouver, and as a volunteer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. She was an active mountain biker and hiker.

Ms. Thompson died when a British Columbia Ambulance Service flight crashed into the ocean at the north end of the Queen Charlotte Islands. At the time of her death, she was on the ambulance service’s Infant Transport Team, since she loved children and young people. This scholarship fund was established in her memory by her parents Michael and Shirley Thompson.

Wendy Thompson Bursary is available to students who wish to participate in an Outdoor Recreation Leadership Program in School District 48. The Wendy Thompson Bursary is intended to help offset the costs of program participation. Applicants must demonstrate exemplary achievement and qualities and be enrolled in the Outdoor Recreation Leadership Program in School District 48.

Talk to your Outdoor Education Teacher to Apply

Wladyslaw (Walter) Zebrowski was a man with a vision. He moved to Whistler in the late sixties. Whistler barely existed. There was no highway, no electricity, no running water. There was only a beautiful mountain waiting to be discovered. He loved his community and wanted to make a difference.

Walter Zebrowski is one of the founding fathers of Whistler. He exemplified outstanding citizenship, resourcefulness and determination. He was hard working and expressed his opinions openly often writing letters to the editor.

Walter founded several Whistler institutions including the Garibaldi Whistler Development Company, Whistler Water Works Company, and the Whistler Television Society as he felt Whistler needed television reception. He was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Whistler and co-founder of the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Whistler Volunteer Fire Department. He was always an active member of the community.

In 1995 he published his autobiography, called In Search of Freedom. The Walter Zebrowski Memorial Rotary Scholarship Fund will be awarded to two graduates who demonstrate Walter’s values of community, leadership, responsibility, initiative, entrepreneurship and perseverance. It is our hope that through this scholarship the history of Wladyslaw (Walter) Zebrowski and Whistler Mountain will live on.

The Whistler Scholarship Fund was created in 1989 by volunteers in the community. In the early 1980’s, community members got together to raise money for scholarships for graduating students.