PENHOLD – In his brief address to assembled guests and citizens Stewart Ford borrowed a quote from Winston Churchill.
‘‘There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies,” said the retired businessman.
Those babies today are the youth of Penhold, who will benefit from the Ford family’s second $500,000 donation into a scholarship fund for Penhold Crossing Secondary School graduating students -- a helping hand for their futures.
And while Ford was investing into those futures, he was also embracing the past for the town’s next generation, and those beyond.
With Alberta Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell in attendance at a special celebration on Jan. 26 at the Penhold Library, the town unveiled its new Chain of Office, a historic tradition that symbolizes municipal leadership, which was also sponsored by the Ford family.
"The Chain of Office that we are inaugurating today is a reminder of the long history of democracy and good government that built the amazing quality of life that we enjoy as Albertans and Canadians,” said Mitchell, who later presented it to Mayor Mike Yargeau, as well as smaller versions to councillors and the town’s chief administrative officer. "It represents the importance of sharing our very best with our community and with our fellow citizens.
"Above all, the chain carries the stories of each person who has stepped forward to serve this town throughout history, today and for many generations to come.”
The large assembled guest list for the Chain of Office unveiling and scholarship presentation included Chinook’s Edge School Division officials and trustees, a Grade 6 class, members of past and present town councils, Red Deer-Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen, and Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Don MacIntyre.
They were told by Sherry Cooper, the town’s Chinook’s Edge school board trustee, the Ford family initially donated a $500,000 scholarship fund in 2014, the first year of the new Penhold Crossing school. Cooper said six students benefited with a $5,000 individual scholarship.
"Receiving a Ford family scholarship has been a tremendous help with financing my first year in university,” said student attendee Jenna Dudar, who graduated from the Penhold Crossing last year and is now studying at Calgary’s Mount Royal University. "It gets me one step closer to reaching my goals with a little less debt to pay back in the end.”
While Dudar is being helped with her post-secondary education, the Ford family wanted to ensure there would always be enough in the scholarship fund for many, many others. The family decided to add another $500,000.
"There is (now) a lot more grade 12s, and all of a sudden three scholarships are not adequate enough to cover the number of students who would qualify,” said Ford, was joined at the event by his wife Eileen. ”Hopefully now there is the money, and that is why we decided to increase it.”
While everyone in attendance praised Ford’s generosity and commitment to community, with the mayor underscoring it would leave "a lasting mark on the town,” the retired businessman used another Churchill quote at the close of his brief address to make a higher point.
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Alberta Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell
"The Chain of Office that we are inaugurating today is a reminder of the long history of democracy and good government that built the amazing quality of life that we enjoy as Albertans and Canadians."
