Vancouver, BC, Feb. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Joseph Chung Scholarship Fund, part of the philanthropy division at Primacorp Ventures Inc., awarded 201 students at its 12th annual Ceremony on Saturday, January 27. A total of nearly $475,000 was given to scholarship recipients across the province to pursue post-secondary education. These students come from over 44 institutions, including UBC, SFU, and TWU. The ceremony was held in the Coastal Church in downtown Vancouver.
Dr. Peter and Stephanie Chung established the Scholarship Fund in honour of their late son, Joseph, who died unexpectedly at 32. Joseph was on the autism spectrum and suffered from epilepsy.
The ceremony opened with a heavenly performance of the Saint Patrick Regional Secondary Chamber Choir and remarks by Bill Blaney, Chief Operating Officer of the Coram Deo Foundation, which is part of the Joseph Chung Scholarship selection committee. One of the other keynote speakers was politician Stockwell Day, who reminded this year’s scholarship recipients and everyone in the audience that God wants us to lift each other up in a World that is being turned upside down.
Various guest speakers spoke highly of this year’s well-deserved scholarship recipients, including the Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Vancouver, Jongho Kyun, who emphasized that the Christian ideal of helping strangers is reflected in Dr. Peter and Stephanie Chung’s generous philanthropy and the Joseph Chung Scholarship.
Students came up on stage to receive their scholarship certificates held in envelopes handed out by the Honourable Yonah Martin, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Sam Sullivan, former Mayor of Vancouver, Todd Martin, Provost of Trinity Western University, and Dean Kurpjuweit, President of the Union Gospel Mission.
As an inspiration for the students and everyone in the audience, the ceremony featured two former scholarship recipients who shared how the Joseph Chung Scholarship has shaped their lives and relationship with God. Grace Kim, a 4th-year recipient, said that the scholarship motivated her to dedicate her time to building relationships in her community. She also built a more personal relationship with God on her journey. Through the help of the Joseph Chung Scholarship, Esther Jang was able to experience a life-transforming summer in which she learned God’s unconditional love.
At the end of the ceremony, the Chung family shared what inspired them to make these philanthropic gifts. Peter Chung said: “We would like to see this year’s Joseph Chung Scholarship recipients giving back 30, 60, 100 times more to our society.”
Primacorp Ventures Inc. is dedicated to supporting the community through consistent philanthropy efforts. With its four post-secondary colleges, Visual College of Art and Design, CDI College, Vancouver Career College, and Reeves College, Primacorp Ventures is Canada’s largest independent provider of private post-secondary education. Together with its business divisions in real estate, healthcare, and hospitality, Primacorp Ventures focuses on changing lives through education, service, and care.