NSCC's Craig Collins accepts a symbolic cheque from Lahave Credit Union to be offered as the Dr. David Maxwell Environmental Studies Bursary.
Lahave River Credit Union announced a new bursary yesterday for environmental students at NSCC. The $5000 bursary was presented to Craig Collins, of NSCC’s Lunenburg Campus.
“This is a wonderful day for our natural resources environmental technology program,” said Collins during the announcement.
The bursary is named after David Maxwell, a doctor, long-time member of the Credit Union’s board of directors, and advocate for the environment.
Fellow Credit Union board member, Tom Webb, says they chose to name the bursary after Maxwell because of all he’s brought to the Credit Union and the community.
“This is somebody who works with nature, not against it. He just oozes environmental sustainability concern,” he said in an interview.
Maxwell has been involved with local environmental group Coastal Action and served as a mentor.
Maxwell mentored Stella Bowles, a student at Parkview High School, from the age of 11, inspiring her fight to clean up the Lahave River. Straight pipes in the town of Bridgewater have been sending sewage into the river for years.
Bowles spoke at the announcement, thanking Maxwell for his mentorship.
“Mentors are key to any community project you take on,” she said in her speech. “Without mentors you’re stuck.”
While the exact criteria for the bursary have yet to be announced, it will go toward helping a student who Collins said, may not have otherwise been able to afford the program.
“I guess the icing on the cake is when you can honour a long standing valued community member…,” he said “We’re very pleased and honoured that the award will be named after Dr. Maxwell.”
Collins also noted that NSCC’s natural resource environmental technology program has recently expanded its focus to environmental stewardship.
