June 2017

It helped me a lot, it helped me pay for a bit of my gym membership, it paid for some food if I was really hungry, it paid for gas when I needed it and it helped my mom a bit whenever she needed some money for something! Thank you again for this, it really helped me and my family this year, things probably would have been different if you did not select me for this so thank you! Means a lot.

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C'est avec un grand plaisir que j’ai reçu votre chèque d’un montant de 100$ par mois. Grâce à vous cet argent me permet de payer mes équipements de lutte et les matériaux scolaires que je manquais pour finir l’année. Je suis sincèrement touché par votre générosité.

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I cannot honestly thank you enough for what you all have done for me this year. The financial support your program has given me is not taken lightly in my eyes. $1000 is a lot of money, which I'd have had to work many more hours within the school year rather than fully pursuing my academic success. The $1000 is no gift; in my eyes, they provide a chance at a better future through post-secondary education, and the opportunity to fully seize it.  This year, your program has allowed me to fully engage myself in my schooling, all while being less stressed about the cost of future education, thus allowing me to put my best forward. This support and relief is something I look forward to paying back, by achieving a stable, happy (hopefully) future and being able to give back to this fantastic program, for there are many students out there who have the passion, brains and the drive to accomplish something great but simply lack the funds. The HOST program is simply fantastic, and I surely hope that more students are able to be supported.

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I am very grateful for this award, as it has helped me and has made my life much easier. The award helps me from basic needs to treating myself and others.  My basic needs include my daily medication, toiletries, and pet supplies for my bunny, Bacon. I spend the money not only on my basic needs, but my brother and sister also.

The other half of the money goes to less important things, and treating myself and others. Such as travelling (bus tickets etc), clothes and shoes for myself and my newborn niece, and toys for my nephews. I also like to treat myself with snacks and goodies sometimes on special occasions, like going out with friends to the movies and sleepovers with some girlfriends.

I also intend on setting aside some money for university, with the help of my possible new job which will help me financially with university and possibly a place of my own someday.

I am very grateful for this award, as it has helped an awful lot and will continue to support me and the ones I care about in the future.

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I want to start off by thanking those involved at the HOST program for selecting me for this award. Because of this extra money I was able to feel comfortable and safe in my last year of high school. With the extra $100 each month, I was able to help my mom with groceries, rent and was also able to go out with friends on occasion.

I am extremely grateful for this as I was able to put all my focus on my school work without the worries about money.  With the extra money I managed to save this year plus scholarships and loans, I am able to comfortably afford university next year (something I have been looking forward to for years).

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Now that the school year is over and the summer season has started, I finally have the time to write my second and final letter to you. It has been a busy final year in high school and the bursary that you have generously donated to me has helped in many aspects of my life, but the main part that I would like to address is time.

Thanks to the money that you have given me, it has provided me with the time to relax and enjoy my summer vacation instead of worry about having to constantly work all the time and dedicate my last high school summer to my finances. I have also had the time to spend some quality time with my close friends to say goodbye to them, as many of these people will be going to different university's than me. The bursary has given me the chance to strengthen this bond that I have with my friends so that the memories we have made over the years will never be forgotten. Your generosity has also given me the time to focus on and improve myself so that I can start university feeling good and confident which in turn will help me with my academics.

In closing, the money that you have graciously bestowed upon me has been a great help and I feel truly blessed to be the recipient of this wonderful bursary. I wish to thank you for organizing this program so that more students, like myself, can receive an education and make a positive impact on their lives. You have made a large impact on my life and I will promise to be worthy of this honor in the years to come.

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I want to say a huge thank you to the Help Our Students Program. I am very thankful for this opportunity that you have given me and I want to you to know that I very much appreciate it every single day. I did not take it for granted because I know for a fact there are so many people in school and in the world actually who would want this and they can't because there aren't people like you in their lives. You are such a huge inspiration to me and I know it takes a lot to give to give helping hand to not only one person but thousands other people. You have really changed me as a person and also me in school I have being working greatly hard in my class and my work ethics have shown me nothing but great success and I would like to keep it that way. Thank you for this financial support it wasn't a small gesture it was something that changed my life and hope to the other students who have this award or will get this award will never take it for granted and see it as just money business but giving back to the people in need.

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This grade 12 year has been one of the best years of my life. I've had so many ups and downs. On May 31st I'm leaving to Hamilton to represent Ottawa in OFSAA. I can't wait to play there. This is the first time a senior boys soccer team is going to OFSAA from my school and I am confident we will do well. On June 10th I have my prom and I couldn't be more excited. I have my suit and everything. This year has been so busy and fun. June is going to be so busy and fun between graduation, prom, OFSAA. I am not exactly sure what I will be doing next year. I have been accepted to the Kinesiology program at Trent University but I am afraid I won’t be able to afford moving there. I am still hoping to attend Carleton University’s Health Sciences program. I have also applied to the Science Stream in the Enriched Support Program at Carleton University. I am taking summer school to bump up a few grades. The money from your generous organization has helped me in many ways. It helped me pay for my entire graduating year experience. The donations have been split throughout prom and OFSAA. I couldn't could not be able to participate in both OFSAA and Prom if I didn't have your help. Because of HOST, I have been able to have one of the best years of my life. Thank you for your generosity.

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This past year could have gone many ways. Some people say that Grade 12 is the most stressful year. Others say that it is the best year of high school.  Going into grade 12, I didn't know what to expect.  One thing that is for certain was I knew that this year was going to be the most expensive year.  There are field trips, grad retreats, garden parties, university applications, Prom Suits, and graduation and prom fees.  These are definitely things can set someone back and make Grade 12 a much harder year than it should be.  When HOST approached me and offered to help me through this time, I was speechless. During first semester, HOST's program helped me apply to university, to which my offer was accepted. During second semester, the HOST program has helped me pay my graduation and prom fees. Not only that, but it has also helped me pay for my suit that I will be wearing to prom. This year could have been very different and I am so grateful that HOST's program to help me through it. I would like to give a special thanks to Rickard Lussier and all those that work with him within the HOST program for making this program exist. School shouldn't have to be stressful, and thanks to HOST, it wasn't for me.

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Thank you so much for providing me with money each month it has helped me in so many ways! 

Financially, things have been very difficult for my mother, as a single parent. She has to support my brother and I; paying for bills, buying clothing, groceries and certainly covering many more things that I am not even aware of. However, with this money I have been able to pay for my own things and release some stress off of my mom. I've been able to pay for recording time for myself to record music that has a positive and uplifting message! I've also been able to pay for the many grad fees that become present in grade 12, including prom! 

Overall, I don't know how I would have made it through this year without your generous contributions. And I am very honored to be a part of this program, I hope that I can give back to students just as you have in the future. 

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the bursary. I was experiencing difficulty in my life and school from being sick and even after trying to get myself back in school. When I received this, it helped me to become motivated to get back in school and start working hard. It gave me a chance to get a taste of what a small amount of income each month feels like. This helped me to worry about my studies more and try and find a job but not worry about the job so much because of the bursary. Now that school is almost over I am looking for a job and am excited to start working. I have gone from just passing to getting 70s and 80s in school because I want to be able to have a good paying career that I will love. I do have 3 more credits to complete due to being sick but I will complete them next year at St. Nicholas adult high school. I hope one day to help someone, in the same way, to keep on giving to people. Thank you so much for the bursary it has motivated me to do the best I can in school.

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The HOST Program has been, in many ways, supporting me for the last two years and I am so thankful. To be given this opportunity is such a blessing that I still, to this day, am unsure if I am deserving of such an act of selfless kindness. I am so thankful that I was given this chance and opportunity to grow and flourish into the bright, cheerful and optimistic girl I am today. I am only able to be so bright because I do not have the weight and darkness of financial instability holding me down like before I came across the HOST Program. Thanks to the HOST Program I will soon be graduating high school without the burden of being financially tied down/restricted and I am truly grateful. The HOST Program has helped me achieve many things and I hope that, in the future, they will be able to help give water and sunlight to sprouts just like me who are in need and are withering away thinking that there’s nobody in the world who’s able to help somebody as unfortunate as themselves. Everybody should get a chance to flourish and achieve their dreams without the hindrance of financial instability, and I’m glad that I’ve gotten mine. I sincerely thank you.

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Regarding the funds given to me by the HOST Program I've been able to use part of it to buy some needed clothes for my summer wardrobe. A small portion of the funds have gone to paying towards my cellphone bill and paying towards a dolly for groceries, which has been a great help as I have back problems that make it hard to carry heavy grocery bags. Most importantly part of the money has gone towards furniture for my new apartment, I have a comfortable bed I can sleep on, a dresser and a furnished living area that I can enjoy and entertain guests in. Thanks to all the people at the HOST Program and donors as well, the extra money has helped make my move and daily life easier by helping me pay for the necessities I needed. 

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I wanted to write to you, to thank you for everything you have done for me over these three years. The three years have gone well, and I wanted to let you know that you have helped me to change my life. Over the past three years, my study skills have improved and I have been able to make use of educational tools such as a laptop.  

I am grateful to have met you because these past three years of high school have gone so smoothly. Your support has been extremely helpful and I would not have been able to do it without your help and encouragement. If I did not have this chance of having $100 every month my life would be a lot harder.

Before being selected in this program my life wasn’t easy at all.  I used to walk to school every day, but now I have managed to buy a bike with the some of the money you send to me every month, which I use in the summer time. The past three winters where not easy for me either, since I am now living on my own without help from my family.  I use all my own money for paying rent for the house, for the phone and internet bill, and to buy food.  The money you send every month has helped me a lot with paying for my daily needs. Thankfully, I have also switched to a new school that is closer to my apartment, so I no longer have such a long commute. This will help me save money on bus tickets.

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Sometimes life can be hard when you don’t have the money to support yourself, your needs, and even your wants. These days all my classwork and homework are done on my hp laptop which I bought last summer with the with the addition of the money you sent every month.

I did not know that I would have this chance one day to have the Host Program in my past high school. I now have the confidence that one day I will be able to achieve all of my dreams and goals.

Helping poor families and young children who are lacking education in Africa and building schools is one future goal of mine. I found out that helping people, younger and older, is the only way I can pay back all of the good things which I had in my life.

I am very appreciative for all of the help that your program has given me.  I know that you help many others in the same way and I respect that a great deal. Even if am finishing in this month, but still I'll stay taking you as my high school helper and I'll be wishing you the best.  Your work is really helping us and I wish you continued success.

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Encore une fois je reviens vous remercier pour m'avoir aidé à traverser l'année scolaire avec plus de facilité, grâce à votre appui dans ma situation financière. Je tiens à remercier tous les membres du programme Aidez Nos Étudiants, chaque individus, organismes et membres qui contribuent à aider les étudiants avec une bourse et leur permettre de bien réussir à l'école et dans leur vie. 

Votre aide m'a grandement ouvert le coeur à vouloir aider et soutenir les gens autour de moi. La bourse OHS m’a aidé à la fois dans ma vie à l'école ainsi qu'à la fois dans ma vie personnelle en me permettant de me fournir tout le nécessaire pour mes besoins personnels, et de pouvoir contribuer au nécessaire pour réaliser mes rêves, telle que voyager et retrouver mon fiancé et ma belle-famille cet été. La bourse m’a de même aider au niveau scolaire sachant que la fin du secondaire approche pour moi et que je me prépare à aller au Collège en septembre pour un programme dans 3 ans dans lequel je veux lancer ma carrière. Je dois dire que mon parcourt vers la fin de l'année aurait été très difficile sans votre aide et votre grande générosité. Votre appui dans ma vie et mes études est grandement apprécié et je me sens très chanceuse d'avoir eu une telle opportunité et j'espère grandement que vous continuerai à aider les étudiants. Sacher même qu'un jour il se peut que les étudiants que vous aidez, décide eux-mêmes de retourner la faveur et de faire un don à Aidez Nos Étudiants. 

Je suis certaine que d'autres étudiants apprécieraient grandement votre appui comme moi, n'oubliez jamais que toute appui et soutien peut aider dans la vie de quelqu'un même si ce n'était qu'un dollar. Vous avez aucune idée à quel point un acte peut changer la vie de quelqu'un, car en effet, votre aide à changer la mienne et je n’oublierai jamais votre appui dans ma réussite. Je vous encourage de continuer votre dur travail puisque cela encouragerait les gens à aider les autres à leur tour. Vous ouvrier la porte à énormément de gens et vous les aider à surmonter beaucoup d'obstacles et j'en suis certaine que vous recevrai les plus belles récompenses du monde pour vos intentions et votre grand coeur. Lâchez pas s'il vous plait! Il y a encore des milliers et des milliers d'étudiants qui souhaite désespéramment une telle opportunité dans leur vie et je leur souhaite de tout mon coeur. 

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I just wanted to say a final thank you once again. You have truly changed my life, and what you have done for me has helped me in so many ways. I can't thank you enough. What you have done for me has allowed me to participate in the extracurricular activities that I couldn't afford, it helped my mother with bills, and most of all, it allowed me to put some money to the side to save for college. My life has been flipped upside down in such a positive way, and it feels absolutely amazing. Last year at this time, I would have never thought I was going to make it this far, yet here I am today, a few weeks away from graduating. I am incredibly grateful and thankful for what you have done for me and just in general what you do for so many students is amazing.

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I was one of the lucky people to be chosen as a recipient for the HOST Program this year. I personally wanted to thank everyone and Mr. Richard Lussier for letting me be a part of this program. Having this extra money has helped me a lot because I was able to buy grocery for my house, things like lunch meat and snacks, and also I used this extra money to pay my overdraft bank account. I was able to help my mom not to pay my monthly bus pass and I could pay that myself. The monthly money allowed me to buy myself some clothes and some school project items which I needed to pass my course. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this group.   

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I am incredibly grateful to have been given this support throughout this school year. Being given this award has helped me a lot. A few ways this award has help me is by helping me manage money and get a better understanding with banking, and learning to save larger amounts of money throughout the year. Another way this award has helped me is by giving me the opportunity to help out around my home. My family has never been the richest family, which I don’t mind and I couldn’t ask for more loving parents, but it felt really good being able to contribute in the home when needed. Weirdly enough, having this award has almost helped me in maturing as well. I’m aware of cost, saving, banking and helping, all these things have made me become a more independent person. Another way this award has helped me by having some money throughout the year really motivated me to get a job, work hard and continue to have money to support myself and family.  Thank you so much for this award, it is a huge support and your program is helping students more forward into their future.

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I have been receiving financial support from the HOST Program for a couple of years now and I am and will be forever grateful. It has helped me with many of my financial needs both in school and at home. I graduate this year which meant there would be a lot of things that needed to be paid for. I was able to utilize the financial support in different ways. I used some of the money to pay for what I had to wear for prom and with that, I was able to save money. Another notable thing that I was able to use it for is for the enrollment in college. In order to fully complete my enrollment in Algonquin College, there was a fee I needed to pay, so I used the money to pay for that. The HOST Program has certainly relieved me and my family of some of the financial problems. Again, I am thankful for what has been given to me and I hope to pay that forward. I am certain that the HOST Program will continue to help many more struggling students. I wish you, Mr. Richard, and the rest of the HOST Program a great summer. Thank you again for the support you have given me this few years of high school. 

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Je vous remercie encore pour cette bourse. En avril, j'ai commandé un moniteur Huion GT-185 HD. Quelque fois j'ai de la misère à croire que vraiment j'ai eu la chance d'avoir cet outil professionnel pour le dessin. Je suis encore en pleine apprentissage pour comment l'utilisé du a sa complexité. Avec l'argent j'ai aussi commandé Clip Studio Paint Pro, logiciel de dessin plus performant que Photoshop. Je vous envoie une photo de ce que j'ai fait il y a a peu près un an au dessin méthode traditionnel et quelque chose que j'ai fait avec photoshop...  Merci encore pour ce merveilleux cadeau...

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I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to you for making this award possible.  I was thrilled to learn of my selection for this honor and I am deeply appreciative of your support. It has changed a lot of things in me and first of them is that life is not only about taking it’s also about giving sharing and helping those who are needed.

I am currently in my last month of high school and I will be studying social work in Algonquin college.  The financial assistance you are providing me is a great help to me in paying my educational expenses, and it will allow me to concentrate more of my time on studying. not only that but it helped relieve my stress of being unable to pay for my Algonquin fees and my graduation fees it helped me a lot and the extra help that you are providing me means a lot to me because without paying for my college registration fees I won't be able to study and you are making this dream come true.

Thank you again for your generosity and support.  I promise you I will work very hard and eventually give something back to others, both as a social worker and possibly a scholarship to future students like myself. 

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Second semester went swimmingly, considering how hard working I was in each of my courses and that I was able to retain my average. The hundred dollars that I have been receiving every month has continued to make this school year a lot more comfortable as well as enjoyable for me. I went to a book fair in February where I was able to purchase many books of my preferred categories; enough books to last me until the summer. I have also used the money to get birthday gifts for family members.  Aside from that, I have been using some of the money to get myself a little treat now and then.  Once again I would like to thank you for your generosity. I love the aim of the HOST (Help Our Students) Program award and it is certainly very effective in my view. I have goals that I will continue to work towards so that I can become the person that I intend on becoming in the future. I will continue to go beyond my limits, in order to achieve these goals. I hope this award makes just as much as an impact on other students as it did on me.

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I am currently in grade 12 and will be graduating this June. I have 7 siblings and my family has been struggling financially for as long as I can remember. This made it difficult for me, and all my siblings, to have the proper educational tools throughout my high school career. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to have been chosen for this program. As I will be attending University next year, I will need a laptop to help me succeed in my studies. I plan on saving the money given to me from the HOST Program and putting it towards a good computer for my post-secondary education. Although this money has been helpful financially, I want to talk about how it has been helpful to me, mentally. Between struggling to keep my grades up in school and my stressful life outside of school, I had lost pretty much all motivation to do well- to try.

When I was called down to the office, being introduced to the HOST program was the last thing I expected. When I was told about the program and informed that I had been chosen, I just cried and I cried for a while. To think about all the other students that deserved this money, but to know that I had been chosen made me truly grateful. It made me feel like there were other people that cared about me and believed in me which made all the difference. They believed that I had the potential to succeed and the HOST program recognized that I just needed a little push in the right direction. This in turn, helped me believe in myself. This pushed me to study even harder and I am very happy to have been chosen Thank you for making the HOST Program possible, I will be forever thankful for this opportunity.

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I am truly thankful for the help of the HOST program. The last year of high school comes with many events and expenses. HOST has helped me manage these expenses and put aside money for university expenses this fall.

Thank you for your generosity and kindness in organizing this program. The money offered through this program has helped me to continue with my hard work at school. This was particularly helpful as my classes were difficult in the first semester, I was helping my mother around the house and I had to take less hours at my part time job. The HOST program took the stress off expenses, and kept my focus on my school work, allowing me to enjoy my last year of high school and maintain my grades. 

Graduation comes with many special events and activities to celebrate the past four years, academic commitments, friendships and memories. The HOST program has helped me to cover the costs of things such as my prom ticket and my graduation gown. Prom and graduation are memorable events that mark the end of high school. I am thankful for the HOST program, as I could cover these costs on my own. 

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The money offered has also taught me budgeting and saving. I set up my own bank account with RBC for the HOST program, which I had never done before. I believe this was an important experience, as I am turned 18 and had never set up my own bank account—my parents had set one up for me when I was young. Going in to the bank brought on a certain degree of financial independence and confidence. I was also able to set up a savings account, where I have been putting aside a portion of the money for the expenses of university in the fall. I look forward to going to university in the fall at Carleton where I will be studying Commerce with a concentration in Management. Being able to have some money saved helps reduce the stress and anxiety of starting this next, exciting chapter of my life. 

I am grateful for the HOST program as it has helped me to enjoy my last year of high school, reduced financial stress and taught me important budgeting skills that will last forever. I have truly had a great year with the help of HOST program, and will start off university on the right track. 

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J’aimerais vous remercier pour votre aide financière, la bourse que vous m’avez offerte. Cela me fut d’une aide remarquable et inoubliable. Je m’en suis servi d’une manière responsable, afin que je puisse en profiter, atteindre certains de mes objectifs et surtout éviter le gaspillage. Grâce à cette bourse, j’ai pu me procurer d’un ordinateur portable, qui m’était en fait très utile, j’ai pu m’occuper de mon application aux universités, dont l’université Laurentienne à laquelle je vais d’ailleurs, et aussi payer pour plusieurs autres choses comme mon ticket du bal des finissants, mon transport quotidien et ainsi de suite. Ceci dit, j’ai donc pu être indépendante d’un point de vue financier, ce qui a vraiment avantagé mes parents, ainsi que moi-même bien sure. Merci beaucoup donc, du plus profond de moi-même un très grand merci pour votre aide et votre soutien. Cette bourse et la meilleure chose qui puisse arriver à un étudiant finissant le secondaire. Merci de votre générosité et votre grand coeur. Je n’oublierai jamais votre geste.

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Je tiens à vous remercier pour votre présence lors de la cérémonie de graduation, ce fut un honneur de vous rencontrer une fois de plus.  Grâce à votre générosité, j’ai fini mon année scolaire avec moins de soucis financiers puisque j’ai assez d’argents pour payer ma première année d’Université.  Étant élève inscrite au programme du génie mécanique biomédicale, les frais de scolarité sont très élevés et la bourse ANET est ce qui m’a permis de payer le montant manquant sans dettes. À cet effet, je m’estime vraiment chanceuse et très reconnaissante de votre bonté.

 

En effet, vous êtes le premier à m’avoir fourni une bourse cette année. Quoiqu’elle m’aide financièrement, elle a aussi contribué à ma motivation tout au long de l’année. Sachant que les élèves qui excèdent académiquement sont ceux qui reçoivent cette bourse, j’étais déterminée à finir le secondaire avec une moyenne de 90% ou plus et je l’ai réellement atteinte. Je peux dire que cette bourse m’a donnée le désire de travailler plus fort, atteindre mes objectifs et aussi persévérer non seulement dans mon cheminement scolaire mais aussi dans la vie courante. Votre sens d’humanité m’inspire à valoriser l’effort des élèves lorsque je serais financièrement plus stable. Je tiens encore à vous remercier pour cette bourse qui a joué un grand rôle dans mon succès cette année.

Maintenant que j'atteins la fin de ma dernière année en secondaire et je porte des pensées concernant seulement mon futur, je réalise à quel point le Programme ANET m'a impacté cette année; pour ma famille, ce temps de l'année et les mois qui suivent tourne souvent autour du stress de découvrir comment nous allons payer pour la prochaine année scolaire, surtout lorsqu'une d'entre nous débute l'étude post-secondaire. Alors, la bourse du Programme ANET nous a beaucoup aidé avec cela, nous ont pu soulagé et nous rendre capable de mieux apprécier ce moment de célébration dans ma vie. Je suis très reconnaissante, et ne peux pas exprimer à quel point je vous remercie! 

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This has been a very busy year, and I think that knowing that this is my last year in high school is kinda crazy to think about. Sorry for the late email and letter, I was sick in the hospital for a bit and then trying to catch up at work and on exams, and I just ran out of time. This year with the help of the host program, I was able to use the money for things such as extra spending cash when I went on the Italy trip, I was able to buy myself a year supply of contacts, of money that didn't come out of my pocket. which was very helpful because it is so expensive. At other times it was nice because I could use it towards some smaller day trips at the school such as outers club and other events that were being put on. This year has been extremely fun as well as stressful because of all the work. 

Next year I am going to go to Saint Mary’s university for my undergraduate of Political Science. I’ll be staying in residence for the first year and then progressing to see where I’ll go next. I was also able to use this money towards buying my prom ticket this year. I’d like to thank you, and this program for giving me the opportunity to do these extra things with the help-of a little bit of cash. 

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In September of 2016 I received a bursary of 100 dollars a month for 10 months. I was initially shocked and was very surprised to find out my name was put forward for this award. Over the past 10 months the host program has helped me pay for my first high school trip out of Canada to Boston, pay for everyday items and has really helped me pay for things I felt at times guilty asking my father who is battling cancer for like money for a bunch with my friends or money for the movies. Even though they were small, I still felt like I shouldn't be spending his money so the HOST program helped take that guilt away. And also has helped me become more independent. Before I hardly ever carried my wallet around or was conscious of the money I had and the prices of things. The HOST program has been such a big helping hand in all that i was able to do this year, from travelled into the US, to attending social events with my friends, and spoiling my father in Christmas and birthday gifts that he so very much deserved. And for all of that I am beyond grateful. 

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The HOST program helped me significantly this school year. I have previously mentioned that I was using the funds to save up for university. However, that changed for the month of April and May. The money that was given for those two months has helped me participate in significant senior activities.

For the past two months, I have used the money to help me pay for prom and the required fee for my high school graduation. Prom was something I was very hesitant to even participate in, as it is very expensive event. I changed my mind, once I figured out how I will spend my money. To even start my journey, I had to buy my dress. The price of the dress was a hefty $240. So I used the money I received for April and the rest was paid from my pocket. The money did help me significantly as it saved me the money to buy my prom ticket, and to pay for my makeup and nail appointment. Despite, this being an expensive time of year, the $100 from April made it easier for myself to participate in prom. The funds from May helped me pay the $20 fee to obtain my graduation gown and cap for my commencement on June 30. Personally, it helped me a lot because my bank account was still recovering from the expenses of prom. Other than the activities for senior year, I have saved up the rest of the money in a savings account for university, as I do need to pay for my tuition myself (and with the help of OSAP).

Overall, I would like to thank every single donor for this amazing program. It has helped me join activities that I was not able to join in the first place because of fees that were required. In addition, the mental peace I have within myself knowing that I have some left for university is one of the best feelings a person can have. For the future funds, I may use a part of it to help me get my G1, to eventually get my G2, so I can drive my family around in a car (that I hope to buy by my third year of university). As I saved up some money for university, I forgot to mention what I will be studying. I will be studying Humanities with a major in Biology with the hopes to study in medicine for graduate school. Again, the difference this bursary has had on my life, made me forever grateful for the things that life surprises you with. 

P.S. When I received this bursary, it was a very big surprise because the day I was called down to my high school's guidance office, I thought it was related to a French program I planned on doing the upcoming summer. Little did I know, it was a reminder that all my hard work was being put to use because I was awarded $1000.

.  .  .

I would like to thank you Rick for this award. It has been an honour to be one of the recipients of this award as this was the first ever financial award I have won. Furthermore, has helped me build confidence in my ability to do work and helped me understand my commitment of school a lot better. I wish you the best in changing the lives of other students.

 

.  .  .

Au cours des derniers mois les versements que vous avez effectué dans mon compte, m'ont aider à subvenir à mes besoins financiers. Grâce à cet argent, j'ai été capable de contribuer pour mes inscriptions à l'université d'Ottawa et à payer mes frais de scolarité. Je voudrais sincèrement vous remercier pour l'investissement et l'attention que vous accordez aux jeunes étant dans la même situation que moi. Grâce à vous, des élèves comme moi peuvent continuer leurs études secondaires et même postsecondaires pour ainsi avoir une bonne carrière plus tard et même aider d'autre jeunes ayant des besoins financiers.

.  .  .

Well it seems that I've come to the end of the school year and have so much to be thankful for. The assistance that you have provided to me has helped me so much during the school year. I've been able to do more with my friends and for my family! I live on a fixed income with my mother and she is suffering with multiple sclerosis.  The $100 allowed me to take some of the burden off my mom because I always ask her for money to go out with friends.

I don't know how I would be able to thank you enough for what you have done for me for the school year. It has truly been a wonderful gift that I have received and I will never forget what you have done.

The monthly amount that I have received has brought me great joy and also gave me a better understanding of how money really works in the real world. Having to spread the money over the month and budgeting to ensure that it lasts has helped me with "understanding" how money works in the grown-up world. These skills will help me greatly when I end up in the working world. Again, I could never convey my thanks for what you have done for me.

.  .  .

I would once again like to thank you for the award that was given to me. It has had a positive impact on my marks as well as my morale during the school year at St Patrick's High School. Throughout the year, the award has continually encouraged me to strive for better marks in all of my academic courses and alleviated much of the financial stress which worried me previously. In fact, I have achieved great marks in all of the classes that I take. Due to this, I have been accepted into my Carlton University engineering program and I am very happy because of this. Now I plan to use the money from the reward to fund the supplies and other academic costs which I will need to pay for my post-secondary expenses. Thank you again for giving me this opportunity to further my education.

.  .  .

This program has given me so much more opportunity to do things in my school year. It has helped me pay for promoting tickets, something I will remember for the rest of my life with my friends. It helped me pay for having a phone plan on my new phone that I believe I mentioned in December but I can't remember. The HOST program has honestly changed my life and I can't tell you how happy it has made me over my last school year at West.  I have never gotten an award before and this award has helped me believe more in my abilities because of the opportunity I've had. I am going in to political science at uOttawa and my new life goal is to become Prime Minister before I'm thirty. Hopefully I can achieve it! Thank you so much for everything that you've given me it has changed my life for the better.

.  .  .

I have received the host award throughout this school year. It has been an amazing help, I have a 1-year-old and it has helped me and my family so much. We have used it for groceries, rent, baby food, formula and lots of other things throughout this pregnancy with my twin girls. 

I would like to say how appreciative I am for the money every month, it has really taken a weight off our shoulders since I am a stay at home mom. Thank you so much. 

.  .  .

This school year its reaching its end very soon and even though it may have been a struggle or a drag to go, I was able to stay motivated to keep on going to school. I mentioned in my email in December that I used almost half of the money each month to spend it to socialize with friends and connect with them as well as personal needs. Starting in January, I had decided to save up the rest entirely up for university to buy textbooks and other needs they require me to have. This award has helped teach me a lot about how to spend money wisely as well as how to save money. I also gained a lot more new experiences, for example, learning how to open a bank account.

What I mainly spent the money on was for those special outing occasions when hanging out with friends like going out to the movies, I also used it to buy my medication often as they were expensive to get, this helped lessen the load for our family in having to pay the medical expenses. This didn't only help me but it also helped my family with the stress on money. I also have a part time job now and I am learning how to save that money properly as well and buy things for my family, mainly groceries.

This award also inspired me to help others, because I was given this chance and gift to keep me motivated, I told my friends about this program and how I wanted to help others as well. With this as an inspiration and many other reasons, a group of friends at my church as well as my sister decided we would sponsor a child with an organization called Compassion International. Just like how this reward gave me money each month for the time I am in school, my group of friends, sister and I will be helping a child each month by splitting the sponsoring fee. We hope to help change their lives or give them a motivation to achieve a goal. Similarly how this gave me motivation to keep on going to school and try my best, I hope that the child that is being sponsored will feel blessed and motivated as well.

I am very thankful to this award as it wasn't just money, it had much more value. This was such a great program and my family and I feel very blessed that such a program exists. Thank you very much for supporting me this year and I am sure many others who have been a part of this program feel the same! 

.  .  .

Over the eight months, the 100-dollar award has helped me a lot. I want to take a moment to give you my most sincere thanks for choosing me as one of the students to get this award.

You have no idea how happy I was when I received this award.  It was such a surprise. I want you to know that I’ll be using the money to pay for my extra-curricular activities and textbooks or anything that I need for school.

It has helped me a lot over the past eight months because back then I was really struggling with money and I couldn’t really get anything I wanted. So this award has motivated me to look for jobs and now I work part time. If you would, please accept my thanks to whomever made the awards possible. I hope that someday I will be able to be as generous as you guys are.

.  .  .

I'm emailing you to thank you once again for choosing me for your program. It has helped me immensely over the year, and especially over the last few months. I've had to travel for my final cheerleading competition of the year and (thanks to my amazing music teacher) to Vancouver for a band trip, and finally having money to spend has been such a relief as I haven't had to worry about having enough money to eat. It's also allowed me to be able to donate some to a fund going towards the victims of the recent tragedy in Manchester, England, a cause that is near & dear to my heart as a fond lover of music.

Overall this program has helped both me and my family immensely, as it's something my mom can worry less about every month. Thanks to these funds I'm going to be applying to jobs for the summer and hopefully over the next (and final) semester of school I'll be doing. The money I've been given is helping me to earn my own finally, and that is something I can't thank you enough for.                        

.  .  .

From the beginning of the school year when you started providing me with this grant, my life has been flipped upside down, becoming homeless and struggling to eat. The money from this grant has helped me provide food for myself and my loved ones when there is none. Other than that I haven’t used the grant money for anything else.  I am still so very grateful for you at the Host Program for providing me with this opportunity and support.

I just want to say thank you for the award. This award has helped me out so much. With the money that you have gave me, I have been putting it towards my bus pass, so I can get to school. I am just so happy that you did this for me and other students in different schools. Even though I will still be at GHS for one more semester. I will still remember this good deed and remember you as amazing man with a kind heart. These few months have been the very best because of you and my friends and family. I am really happy and thankful.

Have a wonderful summer and a life full of happiness.

.  .  .

Thank you for everything! Thank you for this scholarship. It really helped me out throughout the year, because It helped me to take classes that I've always wanted to take, but never had the ability to. It also helped me with eating out more, and buying really cool clothes. I really appreciate it, and I’m very thankful that I was picked to be part of this movement. Please continue to help out, or bless others. Trust me they’ll need it, love it. Keep doing what you’re doing! Good job!

.  .  .

This money has meant a great deal to me and my mother. It is not that I have more money, it is the fact that someone is generous enough to start a program with the sole purpose of helping high schoolers who are struggling financially. People like you give these kids, including myself, the hope they need to go onto post-secondary. You give us a chance to continue our education. In extreme cases, you allow kids to provide their families with enough food.

I have not spent any of the money yet. I saved every dollar to put towards my education. I want you to know that when I have to use it, I will be thinking about how grateful I am for what you and your program have done for me.

.  .  .

I am very grateful to be a part of your program and have the opportunity to receive $100 dollars a month. A dream I always had growing up was to be able to travel and explore new locations for excitement and culture. Because of this program, I can live my dream. With the one thousand dollars I have saved up from the Host Program, I will be traveling to Spain for an entire month with my girlfriend and best friend who are both from Spain. I am finally able to see knew places, meet their parents and have the time of my life all because of this program. Thank you so much for all of your efforts to make students’ lives like mine much better.

.  .  .

I would like to say I am very grateful for what you have done for me this year as this has been one of the most painful and hardest year for me yet. I've been living on my own for almost a year now and with the money you have been kindly sending not just me but, many others it really does make a huge difference and a positive impact on my life style.

.  .  .

Thank you for the award that you gave me. It helped me in so many ways. Now I can pay for my bus pass and school Supply. I'm focus on my school because the money you giving me I don't have to worry about getting a job. This award means a lot to me and I really want to thank you guys.

.  .  .

In June of 2016 I got a letter saying that I was the recipient of the HOST award. It made me so happy and so proud of myself. I have been receiving 100$ per Month since September. I will be getting my last 100$ on June 1st. This money opened doors for me, and gave me opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise. It gave me the means to do things for myself and take better care of myself. It's meant a tremendous amount to me and for that, and more, I'd like to say thank you. Thank you, not just from me, but from my family and everyone else that you have given this award to. It truly inspired me to pay it forward and to be kind to others. 

.  .  .

The money you provided me with helps me a lot. For example, it helps me to play Ultimate for the school team and it helped me at the National Championship in Montreal May 7 & 8, 2017. Our school became the top 10 team in Canada and I am proud of the school team. We played with heart through the rain, wind, mist and sun. It helps me to buy stuff for school for example, books, papers, pens and etc. This year your money will also help me to graduate.  I am so thankful.

.  .  .

I really wanted to let you know how much this has helped me with stress. I was able to take less shifts at work and I was able to work on my school work this way. I also helped my save up for college. I not only was stressed but I was feeling down this past year because I lost two close friends of mine and this program helped me have some money while I had time off work. I missed some school and I was able to catch up because I did not need to stress about the money I needed to save up for school.  Thank you for everything you have done for me.

.  .  .

The HOST program has been a very beneficial asset for me this school year. It has helped me gain independence and learn how to budget money and put it towards things that have helped me when I've had financial struggles throughout the school year. Because of it, I have been able to do more and I am really grateful to be chosen for such a unique program like this one and it's something that I'll remember for the rest of my life. 

.  .  .

I'm very grateful for everything the host program has done for me. My high school year went very great because of the host program. It helped me pay for a lot of important event like prom and a couple of field trips, it also helped me pay for my sister’s birthday presents without it I don't think that I would of been able to buy them one. Thank you again for the opportunity I'm very grateful and humble to have been chosen for this award.  

.  .  .

I want to say thank you and how appreciate I am to have gotten this award. For the last few mouths my family has been struggling and the $100 has helped a lot with paying for food and other groceries that that my mom wasn't able to get.  The Host Program is amazing program, and I hope the program continues from now on and to be able to help more students, just as it helped me.

.  .  .

The Help Our Students program has helped me tremendously through the months. Living in a low income household, and having $100 to spend every month was a great help. I've used it for necessity, as well as buying some odds and ends for myself. It’s great that this was offered to me, and other students who have little to no income. I can't thank you enough for this and hope you will help other students who were in the same position as me. 

.  .  .

I just want to start off by saying thank you very much for assisting me this year with my financial struggles, the money really helped me out with paying for pre practice meals and also giving me the opportunity to create a pay as you go plan to be able to remain in contact with coaches and parents. You really took my 2016/17 high school year that didn't look very promising, and made it into something enjoyable. 

.  .  .

This award has allowed me to focus on school much more than any other year. Rather than working every day after school I have had more time to study thanks to the host program. I am extremely lucky that my work ethic was noticed and i was given this opportunity to receive this award. I have not spent any of the money i have received so I cannot say how it has helped me, but it is being saved until I go to university. Thank you so much for this award it has and will help me in the future. I won’t forget what it has done for me.

.  .  .

I would like to thank you for your support this past year with even the small things, this money has helped me a lot along the way with things from food, school supplies and daily needs for home. I'm very grateful for this gift, your program has helped me out very much not just physically but emotionally too. 

.  .  .

Thank you very much for this opportunity, I am grateful forever.  The money you send me it helps me with family expenses and for some school activities, clothing and reduces family stress. It helps me focus more on school, and it have helped me learn more about banking and budgeting along the way. The money has helped me buy food time to time when I woke up late or forget my food at home. The Host program, and the award have helped me in many ways, I have been going out lately with my friends and family, doing some activities that I couldn't before and reduced some stress in my life.  

.  .  .

The HOST program award has helped me a lot this year. It helped me to get to school, pay bills and do groceries. With the extra $100 a month I was able to put gas in my car to get to school, and pay some of my bills at the end of the month. By being able to do that it made other things like doing groceries way more manageable.  In the end the HOST program award made everything a lot easier for me and helped me out with a lot. 

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I would like to thank you and your HOST program for the 100 dollars for 10 months it help out a lot even if it was just 100 dollars. I did a lot with the 100 paid a few bills I was late on, bought some games for me Xbox1, bought some breakfast on my way to school when I didn't have enough time to eat at home, it also helped me with groceries put some clothes on my back at time. The 100 was a great big help for me and I'm sure it helped the other students who received this award. Thank you for this awesome award. Sadly, this is my last month. I almost forgot to write the last letter. I hope this is a good enough letter on how the 100 for 10 months was great because it helped out more than you think it did thanks again. 

.  .  .

This money has helped me so much this year. I had the chance to buy myself clothes and little things here and there that I wanted. It also helped me get gifts for my family for special occasions. Taught me responsibility and how to save money, this gift from you guys has made me more motivated and made me realize that everything you work for something good comes out of it, so thank you and wish all you the best much appreciated.

.  .  .

So as to start with how it’s helped me, almost a year two ago my Computer’s graphics card broke, good graphics cards, aren't cheap, but thanks to the internet easy to find. Because of the money Host Award sent me I was able to afford one. I asked my brother if he could help me find a good deal, and I bought it. I also found out I’d either need to get a new monitor, or an adapter. So for now I got an adapter, but later I plan to get a new adapter and monitor if I can.

Until then though it has helped me buy things for my friends, either just food or an item in a game, I like to give and make people happy. It makes me happy to know I’ve helped and Host Award has definitely helped in that. But i will save some for myself to buy requirements for college books, a laptop, those kinds of things. I don’t plan to immediately go to college though, i plan to work for a year, and get some more money for college courses. I won't forget how Host Awards has helped me, especially how it’ll help pay for college.

.  .  .

I will start by thanking you for choosing me for the Host Program. I am very blessed to have the money that has been giving to me by the Host Program because now I can achieve my dreams. This money helped me a lot, When I went to a band field trip to Niagara Falls this money helped me a lot. During the field trip I have been able to spend some of the money. Until now I was saving the money to be able to buy a laptop or a Chromebook that will help me continue with my studies at home. Thank you again so much for everything. I am very glad to have this money it really means to me a lot.

.  .  .

Tout d’abord, j’aimerais vous remerciez pour la bourse ANET. Elle m’encourage à continuer à investir de l’effort dans mes études et à m’engager le plus que je peux dans ma communauté scolaire, compte tenu du fait que c’est ma dernière année au secondaire.

En ce qui a trait à l’argent associée à la bourse, je l’ai utilisé à plusieurs reprises pour cette session. J’ai acheté des cadeaux à certains membres de ma famille. J’ai aussi utilisé l’argent pour faire des activités que j’aime avec mes amis.  À part cela, je compte utiliser l’argent l’an prochain, pour payer certains frais ou pour d’autres dépenses qu’il y aura à faire.

.  .  .

Je tiens à vous remercier  pour vos supports tout au long de l’année scolaire.  Grâce à cet appui, j’ai pu réaliser beaucoup de bonnes choses. C’est une des meilleures choses qui ne me sont jamais arrivées; puisqu’avec votre aide, j’ai pu subvenir à mes besoins essentiels et aussi payer une partie  de mes  études postsecondaires.

J’avais de très bonnes idées qui étaient difficiles à réaliser, grâce à vous et avec l’aide du programme, j’ai fini par les réaliser maintenant. Ça a été un plaisir pour moi de vous avoir rencontré et d'avoir pris part à ce programme. Au nom de toute ma famille, nous vous disons un grand merci.

J'aimerais aussi vous dire que votre histoire personnelle a eu un grand impact sur ma vie et je pense un jour la raconter à une autre personne. Une fois de plus, un grand merci pour vos supports.

.  .  .

Thank you so much again for making my school year so memorable. As I did receive the money, it gave me so much time and chance to participate in school activities and clubs because didn't have the time again to stress out about money for my next step. I have been saving the money since I started receiving it. This hand helping me to strive for other stuff had impacted me to care more about my community and respond to the call that God sent us to do. Am so grateful to have received all the help from the host program. For sure my words can't express my gratitude. But I will end up saying thank you so much and may the living might bless you. And hope to pass this and help out in the future.

.  .  .

I would like to start off by saying that the HOST program has helped me a lot this year and I would like to say thank you for making this program, in general, it is a very kind and thoughtful program.

I have been able to pay for my extracurricular expenses of hockey for equipment and registration fees, robotics for team fees and most of all cadets. With this money, I have been able to buy textbooks and pay fees to get into a glider pilot scholarship training this month with cadets. I have been able to have some fun and spend time with friends and buy essentials such as travel, clothes and food without needing to bug my mum for money.

Overall this money has made life easier, allowed it to be jam packed and very fun. It has also most importantly allowed me to follow my dreams of becoming a pilot and I’ll be sure to take these blessings and work my hardest during the course.

.  .  .

Thank you Host program once again for the continued support. This money that this program continues to send has helped me a lot this year, especially in this ongoing prom season. It made expenses that I needed to pay for prom that much easier to do. Over the past 2 years this extra money really has gone towards those extra expenses I needed for either extracurricular activities, school activities or personal things. With that being said I am grateful and thankful for this extra hand that made my high school experience less stressful without thinking about how I would pay for a lot of things. Now although it wasn't a huge amount of money it was still something that goes a long way. Thank you host program for an amazing 2 years.

.  .  .

Firstly, would like to thank you for Hosting me this year, it was a honor being part of the program and would definitely recommend keeping this program in the future for it has help me with my schooling. Such as being able to buy school supplies for projects and even helping me go on school trips. Also by setting up a bank with RBC It encourage me to use it as my main bank today I plan to stick with the bank for it has good features for students and for adults. I do want to thank you for being part of this and would like to meet up soon for a proper thank you.

.  .  .

Because of HOST I was able to put more money towards getting fruits and vegetables when I bought groceries throughout the winter, which I normally couldn't do. It has helped me to decrease my stress around food and the next meal, and in such also help me to have the brainpower to get my work done in the classroom. I really appreciate everything that you have done for me and those in my situation this year, and hope that many more will be able to benefit from this amazing program in the future. 

.  .  .

The award has helped me bought food this year, also helped me buy groceries and clothes. It helped me out with my newborn daughter too.

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Puisque cette bourse va payer une partie de mes études post-secondaire, je vais avoir moins de dette à rembourser, lorsque je vais aller aux études post secondaire.

.  .  .

Host has been beyond amazing to me the past few years, with my family struggling with money there's not much money left for a lunch everyday per se, or clothes every day. I also got my own phone thanks to this program and it has helped me an unbelievable amount. Thank you for the support you have given me throughout my high school career. I will never forget you and everything you've done for me. 

.  .  .

Since the school year is about to end and graduation is starting, I would like to thank this program for all that it has done and taught me what it's like to have a responsibility of owning your own bank account. This program should be kept next year for other students so they can get financial help also. Thank you Richard and everyone involved this year for your hard work and kindness.

.  .  .

Cette bourse a eu un grand impact sur moi car elle m'a permis pour quelque fois lorsque je n'en avais pas assez de payer mon plan de téléphone et j'ai gardé le reste pour pouvoir m'acheter un nouveau laptop pour mes études universitaires l'année prochaine. Au plaisir.

.  .  .

These awards have been super helpful for me and without them I would definitely have a very hard time trying to graduate from high school. I was able to pay for my bus ticket in winter in order to get to school on time. also I was able to buy school necessities such as binder, paper, and etc. I also saved some of it to have them for my university.

.  .  .

With being a part of this award it has helped me in so many ways. Being in grade twelve there is a lot of graduation fees that need to be paid.  Most of the money I have received went towards helping me pay those off. With this being the last month of school.  I can see that the host award definitely helped me get through this school year a lot easier without always having to be worried about not having the money for certain things. Thank you for choosing me to be a part of the host program. It was really helpful. I hope you have a great summer. And I hope the host program helps a lot of others. 

.  .  .

I would like to thank you for everything you and the host program have done for me. The money that I was giving has been Incalculably useful in all aspect of my school year. From this program, I was able to help myself active many new skills buy being able to travel more. Secondly, the funds allowed me to help my mom, who will be going into surgery soon. I can't even tell you in any amount of words how much this has meant to me. Thank you all so much.  

.  .  .

Thanks again for this amazing opportunity, it has made this past year a lot easier for me. The money has allowed me to do things for school and with my friends that I wouldn't normally be able to afford. This year has been a lot more eventful due to this, thank you very much for your generosity.

.  .  .

Avec l'année qui approche de la fin je tiens à vous remercier car c'est grâce à vous mon prom va être exactement comme je le voulais et que mes parents sont bien contents d'économiser cet argent. Il m'aura été très utile à moi et mon frère durant tout le long de cette année. Encore merci pour tout.

.  .  .

want to thank you very much for awarding me this year. The money I have been receiving every month helped me a lot. During the winter months, I used it to get myself a bus pass and I added the money from the last few months to my travel savings as i am planning on going on a trip next spring. 

So once again, thank you for the award! I really appreciate it and I will for sure pass this act of kindness on when I am older and have an income. I hope you have a wonderful summer!

.  .  .

The host program really helped me through this year and it made me more comfortable with my bills and to be able to save some money for after.

.  .  .

I just wanted to thank you and the program for the many opportunities that have been opened for me through that monthly $100. I've been able to reinvest that money into wholesale high profit margin products and my wealth has been growing exponentially. Whenever I'm less stressed my immune system strengthens so I've been benefiting from good health too! This extra money has taught me a lot through the way I have used it, so I'm very thankful for that since the future now seems to be ever so brighter.

.  .  .

First of all, I would love to thank you and your organization for the opportunity I had this year with your association. it has impacted me this year in many different ways every month I was able to use the 100$ for my pleasure. The 100$ a month helped out a lot with the purchases of school materials such as... pencils, binders, clothes, lunch money or even snacks. It was an amazing year and I would like to thank you and the whole organization for giving me this opportunity. 

 

hostprogram@rogers.com    © RICHARD LUSSIER 2016