MOOSE JAW — Catholic students in the Moose Jaw area are likely digging through couch cushions and checking their piggy banks to find shiny $2 coins to help support a national fundraiser.
The annual “Toonies for Tuition Day” occurs on Wednesday, April 30, where students and staff in Catholic school divisions across Canada contribute $2 — or more — to support an initiative that helps other students pursue a faith-based education.
This day is also the Feast of St. Marie of the Incarnation, the French founder of the Ursuline Sisters of Canada. St. Marie of the Incarnation also founded the first school in Canada when she arrived in Quebec City in 1639, which was also the first North American school for girls.
Trustees from Holy Trinity Catholic School Division briefly discussed the fundraiser during their April board meeting.
“I know things have been a little bit tighter (economically) in communities so … the numbers we’re seeing so far don’t quite match what they’ve done in the past,” said Ward Strueby, director of education. “But most schools have been doing that (fundraising, anyway).”
Some schools have been raising money through activities such as art nights, door entry fees to basketball tournaments and selling ice cream, he continued.
“So it’s nice to see … a variety (of activities) and we kind of leave it up to schools (about what to do),” Strueby added. “It’s nice to support that cause.”
The Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association (CCSTA) launched the Toonies for Tuition Campaign in 2005 to address inequalities in education, where some provinces and territories fully funded Catholic education while other regions provided no funding, which puts faith-based learning out of reach for many students and families.
The regions that fully fund Catholic education include the Yukon, the North West Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. The regions that provide partial funding include British Columbia, Manitoba and Nunavut. The regions that provide no funding include Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
According to the CCSTA, 888,603 full-time equivalent (FTE) students attend Catholic schools across Canada, with Ontario’s English Catholic program having the highest number of students enrolled at 568,278 FTE; there are 43,667 FTE students enrolled in Saskatchewan.
“The number of students whose Catholic education is fully funded far outnumbers the number of students who must pay full or partial tuition,” the CCSTA said. “One toonie from every person in regions where Catholic schools are fully funded would more than support all those wanting to access a Catholic education in Canada.”
There are more than 1,100 Catholic students in Canada who don’t receive provincial funding for their education, while last year, the fundraiser provided students with $134,000 to support their learning, a Toonies for Tuition fact sheet says.
Meanwhile, there are roughly 2,095 schools across Canada that provide Catholic education, with 110 of them receiving either partial funding or no funding, the document continued. Meanwhile, there are roughly 100 national Catholic schools that receive partial funding to education roughly 27,700 students.
Also, the annual tuition in Canadian Catholic schools ranges from $1,215 to $20,130 annually, depending on the location and provincial funding levies, the report added.
The next Holy Trinity board meeting is Monday, May 12.
