Thomas Aquinas Education Fund makes strides

A section of the Beneficiaries

Managers of the St. Thomas Aquinas Education Assistance Fund, recently posted an inspiring report about the support it had advanced to needy but brilliant students within the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Cantonments in spite of inadequate funding.

In order to sustain the Fund, the Board of Trustees are examining plans and innovative strategies of fundraising activities to replenish it, so as to support more students.

So far, a total of 26 beneficiaries benefited from GHȼ 24, 550.00 bursaries disbursed since the inception of the Fund in October, 2013. In 2015, seven beneficiaries were awarded bursaries worth GHȼ 6,950.00, while nine beneficiaries received a total amount of GHȼ 8,700.00 in 2016; with another 10 beneficiaries accessing GHȼ 8, 900 this year.

Parishioners of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church, contributed to the Fund through the annual pledges and others. However, to augment the coffers of the Fund, a percentage of the Church’s 2016 harvest proceeds was used to support the fund, since the amount from pledge redemption was not much.

An 11-member Board of

Archbishop Palmer-Buckle with Board Trustees and some Beneficiaries

Trustees comprising the Parish Priests, the Parish Council (PC), the Youth and those with technical knowledge in education, administration and law was set up to oversee the management of the fund.

With the objective of supporting needy but brilliant students who face financial difficulties to continue their education, the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church launched the Education Assistance Fund on Sunday, 16^th February 2014.

Through the Fund a lot of students were able to pursue their respective educational aspirations either at the Primary, Junior or Senior High Schools and at the Tertiary levels, from 2015 to 2017, with some beneficiaries completing the various levels of their education.

The disbursement of the 2017 coincided with the climax of the Pastoral visit of Most Rev. Charles G. Palmer-Buckle, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Accra, on Sunday, 6^th of August, 2017, who urged the beneficiaries to study their books to justify the support they were receiving.

The current Board of Trustees has Rev. Fr. Benjamin Ohene, as the President, with Rev. Frs. David Andoh and Evans Halolo, as Vice Presidents; and Prof. Kojo Senah, as Chairman and Mr. Danso, as Vice Chairman. Other members are Mr. Frank Yankey, Legal Advisor; Mr. Adu Ameyaw - Financial Secretary and Mrs. Georgina Benyah, Secretary as well as Ms. Jessica Timbilla, Assistant Secretary and Mr. Emmanuel Dogodzi, Member.