The Holland College Foundation has received the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education’s Prix d’Excellence silver medal in the Best Student/Young Alumni Initiative category for the Earn a Car campaign.

The Prix d’Excellence annual awards program recognizes outstanding achievements in alumni affairs, public affairs, communications, marketing, development, advancement services, stewardship and overall institutional advancement.

The Earn a Car campaign was made possible by Island-born Calgary businessman Lou MacEachern. Mr. MacEachern has generously donated the car and four cash awards to the Holland College Foundation for six consecutive years with the objective of motivating students to achieve their personal and academic best.

Holland College president Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald, said the Earn a Car initiative has a profound impact on the college’s students.

“We are pleased to receive national recognition for this extraordinary initiative led by the Holland College Foundation, and we are very appreciative of Mr. MacEachern’s continued support,” he said. “The Earn a Car campaign touches students’ lives and shows them that their commitment to their studies and to their communities is recognized, valued, and appreciated.”

Faculty and staff nominate students on the basis of merit, character, and academic achievement with consideration to personal and professional growth and accomplishments, attitude, perseverance, initiative, leadership, career goals, community involvement, ambition, educational growth, academic effort, and work ethic. Nominees are short-listed by the Registrar’s Office, and the top five candidates are interviewed by a selection panel. One student receives a new car, four students receive $1,000 each. 

This year, Ashley Stuart, a student in Holland College’s Architectural Technology program, earned a 2020 Chevrolet Spark. Alex Foy in the Environmental Applied Science Technology program, Allen Boland in the Human Services program, Karla Cabrera in the Accounting Technology program, and Tracey Lidstone in the Human Services West Prince program each received $1,000.

Mr. MacEachern recently announced his commitment to fund the initiative for a seventh year, making all post-secondary students attending Holland College in 2020/21 eligible.  

In this picture: Holland College Earn a Car 2017 nominees (l-r) Neil Riley, Resident Care Worker program; Jody Milligan, Construction Electrical Technology program; Ryan Brown, Sports and Leisure Management; Pam Corominas, Practical Nursing program; and recipient Sarah Duncan, Plumbing program.