Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship Fund

Funds general

To make a donation

In 1991, The Alpine Club of Canada received a donation from Dolena Colpitts to establish a Memorial Scholarship Fund in the name of her son, Jim Colpitts. As a result of the Mrs. Colpitts' generosity, each year The Alpine Club of Canada awards a scholarship (approximately $500) to a participant to put towards the costs of a mountaineering related course (e.g. avalanche training, wilderness first aid, rock/crevasse rescue, mountain leadership training, ACMG training).

Valley of the Ten Peaks photo from the John Freeman Collection
Jim Colpitts:   1953 - 1982 Like many Calgarians, the mountains of Jim’s youth were the Kananaskis and Assiniboine regions. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jim was active in these regions with the Y.M.C.A. Wilderness 1 group, both as a student and as a counselor. The instructors with this group were young and aggressive and somewhat given to the “British hardman” approach to mountaineering. This suited Jim well because he was physically strong and rose to the mental challenge of endurance.  Through his teens and 20s, Jim was active as a skier, climber and hiker and this was a constant in an ever changing life. Jim would be pleased to know that his “official” legacy to the mountains is an opportunity for someone else to have the intense relationship with them that he did, and to have the experience affect their lives to the great degree it did Jim’s.

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to consider applications:

• Member of the Alpine Club of Canada
• Member of one of the Alberta Sections
• Between the ages of 17 and 24

Download Information Package for full details:

Information package: Adobe PDF
Application form:   Word Document

Annual Process and Timing

The following are the steps involved in the grant application/selection process each year:

• Notice inviting applications: February, June and October issues of the national ACC newsletter, The Gazette, and other outlets as appropriate;
• Applications must be received no later than January 31st at the ACC National Office, P.O. Box 8040, Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T8 Attn: Jim Colpitts Fund Committee
• Review of applications by the Selection Committee: February/March
• Announcement of successful applicants: March 15th
• Grant(s) paid: Receipt of course or training program must be received by the ACC. Reimbursement checks are then sent out to the successful applicant following completion of the course.

Agreement

As part of their application, applicants must agree to:

• Use Fund grant monies only for the purpose(s) proposed in the application;
• Supply receipts to substantiate the Fund grant-related expenses incurred;
  

Application deadline: January 31st