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Rotary Youth Talent Festival a gem in our community

For those of you lucky enough to have children, grandchildren, or students who performed in this year’s Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent Festival, you will know what I am talking about as I look back on the talent, drive and hard work that was represente

For those of you lucky enough to have children, grandchildren, or students who performed in this year’s Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent Festival, you will know what I am talking about as I look back on the talent, drive and hard work that was represented there.

Over 200 young people from six to 18 years of age participated in the festival and finale. This year, over two thousand dollars worth of prize money and trophies were awarded thanks to sponsors of the festival. In addition, five scholarships of $1,000 were given to Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent Festival Participants based on need and potential.

Today, I am thrilled to announce that the scholarship donor, Gordon Rumpel, has asked that the scholarship amount be doubled for this year’s recipients, as well as for scholarship winners who are chosen hereafter!

The vision of Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent Festival has been to “foster a love of the arts in children”. Our goal is to continue to provide an opportunity for young people, of all ages and skill levels, to be able to perform and explore their talents in a safe atmosphere, with adjudicators who are passionate about teaching and encouraging.

This volunteer-run festival is supported entirely by our local clubs and businesses. Our major sponsor, Cochrane Rotary Club provides funding and volunteers because they, too, believe in the potential of our future leaders. This year, in addition, we were grateful for the Cochrane Lions and Rotary Bow RiversEdge Capital Reinvestment Fund who offered us a grant, enabling us to give back to the participants through trophies and cash prizes. We partnered with local businesses, such as Cochrane Toyota, Mabbott and Company, Jayden Images, Guys Café & Bakery, Drs. Zeigenhagel and Associates, as well as Barnett Orthodontics, the Cochrane & District Chamber of Commerce, Cochrane Eagle, Cochrane Times, Rock Pointe Church, ATB Financial and Satellite Printing. I am talking about business people who step up to the plate, donate their time and money and give back to this community when it would be easier not to. It’s because of them that we have been able to run this festival for over two decades without increasing the entry fees for the children.

The idea of the Illa Rumpel scholarship emerged after Gordon and Illa Rumpel offered to partner with the Cochrane Foundation to purchase a piano for the festival in our new home in the Cochrane Toyota Community Room. They still wanted to help more. Last year, when Illa passed away, Gordon decided to set up a grant for young people who showed a passion and a drive for the arts. ‘Need’ and ‘Potential’ became his criteria for the scholarship. ‘Need’, he explained, is where a child would like to further their journey, but need alone would hold them back. Gordon believes that ‘potential’ lies within a young person who has the passion to pursue the arts as part of their continual life journey. Illa Rumpel, for whom the scholarship is named, had a life-long passion for music. It defined so much of who she was and remained a part of her to the end.

This is the second year that the Illa Rumpel scholarship has been offered to Cochrane Rotary Youth Talent participants. Last year the money was given to four young people who were able to purchase instruments and a recording opportunity. This year, five scholarships were awarded. After reading their stories, Rumpel worried that this money would not cover the need, so he asked that we double the scholarship and offer each recipient $2000 instead.

Today, I had the honor of calling the teacher of one of the recipients. When I told her that the scholarship would be doubled the teacher started to cry. Her student, a passionate and disciplined violinist, had outgrown her violin. Though the original scholarship was such a blessing, they were unable to find one suitable for the original scholarship amount and her parents did not have the means to help. This child’s teacher and her husband were figuring out how they could personally put the money together to pay the rest. The new scholarship money would now cover the remaining amount needed and this young girl will never forget this amazing gift!

When I asked Gordon if he’d ever want the scholarship in his name he said that it was like the festival itself—it is not for the glory of anyone. It’s about providing opportunities for children to be able to accomplish what they are passionate about doing! He said, “When I am gone, I will be dust. All that remains are the legacies I leave. I want my legacy to be that I made a difference in someone’s life”.

Now that is something to celebrate!

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