Surrey educators’ foundation has awarded more than $170,000 to graduates

A small group of educators founded Bright Beginnings Foundation (BBF) in 2015 to help some of Surrey’s most vulnerable students pursue post-secondary education. The non-profit society has awarded more than $170,000 in full-ride bursaries and grants to graduates, including Marena Janakovic. It has helped 10 students and their families reach educational goals through scholarships and plans to expand.

Janakovic graduated from Guildford Park Secondary in 2023 and now studies engineering at Simon Fraser University. She said she feels lucky every day. She first planned to study psychology, then shifted to sustainable energy engineering. BBF’s financial help solidified her plans to continue to post-secondary education when she graduated. She said she would have gone either way, but with finances tight, she was unsure whether psychology was worth pursuing. The bursary freed up mental space to explore what was the best fit instead of focusing on how to survive. She said she never expected to study engineering, but when the opportunity arose, she thought she could do it.

Co-founder Tammy Neuman taught kindergarten in Surrey for 32 years. She recalled seeing children arrive at school without clothing suited to the weather or without lunches, both in inner-city schools and in more affluent areas. After retiring, she decided to establish the foundation with Sylvia Moffatt, who had helped from the beginning. Neuman said it is a lot of work. BBF now has seven directors, most of them retired educators. The foundation’s website says its directors believe everyone deserves a poverty-free life and that they aim to give all Surrey high-school graduates an equal opportunity to attend a post-secondary institution and obtain a career.

BBF raises money through pub nights, plant sales, gift-wrapping at malls, concerts and garage sales, among other activities. Funds are managed through a donor-advised fund with Vancity Community Foundation. Neuman said the fundraising work has paid off and that BBF’s work is made possible by donations and strong support from local businesses and community members. The bursaries are open to graduating students from Surrey public schools and cover post-secondary tuition and student fees.

Neuman sees Janakovic as a model BBF bursary recipient. She said Janakovic presented herself with strength, knew what she wanted and showed maturity. BBF saw strong potential and continued supporting her with a bursary to help her reach the next step. Neuman said many students apply for help, making the selection process difficult. She said each applicant appears to need support, and while BBF cannot choose everyone, it does its best.

Students can apply at brightbeginningsfoundation.ca starting in February and must include letters of support from school counsellors or principals. Dr. Donna Beegle inspired Bright Beginnings Foundation. The website says that, with a mentor’s kindness, Beegle emerged from generational poverty and went on to research and write articles offering insights and strategies for communicating more effectively across race, class, gender and generational barriers. She is president of Communication Across Barriers.