At the end of this month Sechelt's Mary Kenny will remember her son by awarding two deserving chemical and biological engineering students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) with $500 each.
The awards are hoped to be the first of a yearly allotment from the Thomas Bennett Memorial Fund, which Kenny has set up in memory of her son.
"This is sooner than what we anticipated, but that's good because I want the link to be there with his memory," Kenny said.
Kenny has been working to raise a $30,000 endowment fund so the awards can be made possible through the interest accumulated. So far she has raised $12,600 and expects it will take another year to secure the rest of the money. An anonymous donation of $1,000 came in recently, along with the stipulation it be used for the two awards this month.
"So that is really exciting," Kenny said.
The awards will go to students who have shown great academic achievement, leadership and social and environmental concern.
While Kenny was not part of the selection committee (university staff is tasked with that), she did help draw up the criteria for nominees.
"I want someone who has a strong academic presence and I want a student who goes beyond that, who makes a commitment or has a real concern for bettering the community or the world at large through their engineering skills and also someone who really enjoys life - in Tommy's terms, someone who 'lived life to the fullest,' someone who has an appreciation of the broader life on all levels," she said.
Kenny will be on hand when the awards are given out. The two recipients will be guests of honour at the next fundraiser and silent auction for the memorial fund on Feb. 18 at Mahoney's Pub on campus at UBC.
Thomas Bennett died at the age of 26 while climbing Mount Shasta in Northern California.
He was an avid outdoorsman who had a passion for life and his chosen profession of engineering.
Kenny said her son wanted to make a difference through sustainability and that he was one of the people responsible for attracting the biodiesel fuel project to UBC. There is now a plaque at the school to recognize his contribution to that project and Kenny wants to see a permanent fund established to help keep his memory alive.
For more, contact Kenny at 604-989-3255 or see www.supporting.ubc.ca/thomasbennett.
