From Poverty to University

Metro Care & Share Society (MCSS) is a Halifax-based registered charity that helps youth from low-income families across Nova Scotia attend university and college. As the founder of MCSS, Mel Boutilier works to address the major issues of poverty, discrimination and youth depression through educational achievements. Mel has a proven record in accomplishing these goals as the founder of Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank, and the Community Skills Development Centre. He has demonstrated that providing access to education for at-risk youth is the best way to make a better future for them and everyone else in our community. Mel’s personal understanding of underprivileged youth has given him and his team at MCSS a vision for recognizing scholarship candidates’ passion for personal growth, potential leadership skills and their desire to help others in their community.

All MSCC scholars have their own compelling stories to tell. Nisha Adhikari is one of the recent participants of the Halifax Scholar Program (HSP) through MCSS. Nisha is a kind-hearted and very passionate young woman who is always cheerful. Her beautiful smile does not reveal the struggles she has faced going from poverty to university. Nisha was raised in a refugee camp in Nepal and came to Canada when she was eight years old. It is difficult for her to think back to the deplorable conditions of the refugee camp where she lost many of her friends. Through this experience, Nisha developed a strong desire to help others in need. Along with the full course load at school, she enjoys volunteering in the community when her schedule permits. She works during the summer and in her “off-time” she volunteers at MCSS to help raise funds for the Scholarship Program, money that goes toward covering tuition and school-related costs for her and her fellow scholars. Recently, she was able to help those in need with funding for their school supplies through a Rising Youth Grant, part of the “TakingITGlobal” (TIG) initiative. This love of helping others in need and giving back to her community has ignited her passion to pursue training as a Registered Nurse (RN).

Since 2015, MCSS has been helping scholars and their families by providing funding for their education. MCSS is currently in need of additional resources to continue funding the nine current scholars. The campaign goal is to raise $130,000 as it costs an average of $13,000 to put one of our scholars through university or community college each year. To reach this goal, MCSS is appealing to the generosity of Atlantic Canadians. Against incredible financial odds, our scholars are pushing themselves to earn a post-secondary education. Together, this is how we can beat poverty. Help us back our winning team!

Please feel free to contact Mel, our executive director, for more information.

Office Phone: [phone redacted]
Cell Phone: [phone redacted]
Email: [email redacted]
Website: www.metrocareandsharesociety.com 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/metrocareandsharesociety/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MCSSSCHOLARS   
Charitable Registration #135681393RR0001

Together we can change our community, one student at a time.

Nisha Adhikari, Nursing Student, St. Francis Xavier University