Congratulations to the Winner of the 2023 Jim Hayter Scholarship
This year’s Jim Hayter Memorial scholarship has officially been awarded to Ms. Tessa Cox of Saint Albans, NL! Thank you to everyone who applied.
For those of you who don’t know, the Jim Hayter Memorial Scholarship is a scholarship established by Metalfab in 2017 to honor the late Jim Hayter. Chief Hayter was a firefighter with the Alvinston, Ontario, fire department for 44 years, 15 of which he served as Fire Chief, and a charter member of the Canadian Volunteer Fire Services Association (CVFSA). This award is presented by the CVFSA to honor Jim’s prominent role there alongside his years of service.
Eligible applicants for the scholarship are active firefighters or dependents of active firefighters who are pursuing their goal of higher education and are under the age of 25. The awarding of this year’s scholarship in the amount of $1,500 was based on the academic standing of the recipient and her involvement with school and community. We think upon reviewing her credentials you’ll agree Tessa was a worthy choice.
About Recipient Tessa Cox
Tessa has been involved in the community since she was able to walk. Her parents have always been very active in the community as volunteers, and from a young age, Tessa remembers being brought along to events like community cleanups and group initiatives to help those in need. As she got older, she developed more and more appreciation for the work her family did and recognized that volunteers were the heart of the community.
In her young life, Tessa has already volunteered with 19 charity initiatives and organizations in her community. These include a local recreation committee, a local festival committee, a local community network, the local Lions club, her township, a cancer benefit fundraiser, reading-for-fun programs at her school, a local athletic association, local beautification programs, a local veteran’s museum, a local heritage society, tutoring her peers, leadership club membership at her school, and participation in the delivering of breakfast programs at local schools. Oh, and we can’t forget number one on the list: involvement with her local fire-and-rescue organizations through training, personal development, and fundraising initiatives.
“Every community needs volunteers, but mostly I learned to respect the infrastructure around town they fought to get,” Tessa writes in her application essay. Her mother, among many others, spent immense amounts of time fighting for town improvements such as beautification, signage, and trails. Tessa relates that the family would travel to other regions to see what they had and then fight to have St. Albans meet the same standard.
Furthermore, close to Metalfab’s heart, Tessa fundraised for people in her community who had been affected by tragic events such as fires. It’s no surprise that Tessa will be pursuing further education in paramedicine.
Among the benefits of volunteering, Tessa cites that she has had the opportunity to touch lives in a way she will never forget, to realize the impact one person can have on the community, and to see firsthand what her actions mean to the people she’s serving.
As an active member of the community, Metalfab is always seeking new ways to get involved. Creating the Jim Hayter Memorial Scholarship was one way to give back while recognizing the passionate years of fire service and friendship Jim Hayter gave to so many. If you have questions about the scholarship, have a story to share about your own experience with Jim Hayter, or would like to hear more about what Metalfab is doing in the community, we would love to hear from you. You can reach out to Business Development Manager Ryan Stacey directly by email at rastacey@metalfabfiretrucks.com.
