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The Shirley and Sol Kort Scholarship Fund
The Mothers Matter Centre equips mothers facing low income and isolation to become engaged citizens and confident parents and to prepare their children for success in school.
Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) was one of Shirley Kort’s favourite National Council of Jewish Women projects. As a mother devoted to helping newcomers, Shirley held this project close to her heart. While she did not have to learn first-hand the challenges of immigration, both she and her husband, Sol, had parents who did.
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Sol was also an educator and an ardent supporter of women’s rights and education. As the father of three daughters, his feminist ways may have been a survival technique and a heart-felt conviction. HIPPY was a natural choice when Shirley and Sol’s daughters wanted to honour their parents’ generous legacy after their mother died in March 2016. All three sisters have links to the concept of HIPPY.
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Beverley is a psychologist, a mother of three and a grandmother of four. She is a past President of the Jewish Family Services Board and in a volunteer capacity, she assisted Bosnian and Russian Jews as they resettled into the Vancouver community.
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Alisa is an actress and singer. She has worked with students from all over the world as a singing instructor at the Vancouver Film School. Shoshana is a children’s storyteller & mother of two. She also interacts with students from many countries as a Spiritual Care Provider at the University of Victoria’s Multi-faith Centre.
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All three sisters feel confident that their parents would have been proud to contribute to the education of the resilient women who receive their scholarship. Helping women fulfill their dreams of a successful life in a new country for themselves and their families inspires awe.
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If you are looking for a worthy project to honour the memory of a loved one, or you want to contribute to a worthwhile program because it’s the right thing to do, please give as generously as you can to this and other Mothers Matter projects.