Elliot moved to Yellowknife when he was 10 years old to live with his aunt and uncle. He was always entrepreneurial, planning his allowance and hustling additional chores to earn more. In high school, he pioneered the concept of rideshare, giving rides in his beat up Corolla for a small fee. He went on to pursue post-secondary education focusing on business but was not settled enough to finish his studies and so returned north, working in expediting for remote work sites. He loved the barrens, being on the land, and seeing opportunities for sustainable opportunities for sustainable development. He was full of ideas, always thinking of possible business ventures while also being a compassionate, funny and a thoughtful person who his always teased for his questionable musical tastes (Hall & Oates anyone…?). Elliot passed away in 2016 and is deeply missed by his friends and family.

The Enough Talk, Hurry Up and Do It Already Arts Scholarship Fund was established in 2006 to assist Ecole Sir John Franklin High School graduating students pursuing post-secondary studies in the performing arts, film, music or writing. In 2022, the Fund was adapted to be open to all students and residents from the Northwest Territories pursuing post-secondary studies in the fields of Fine and Performing Arts.

The Eugène Roach Memorial Fund was created by Eugène’s family in memory of his legacy in education, coaching and supporting sports and recreation in the North. Eugène was a physical education teacher at Ecole Saint Joseph School for 18 years, where his time was spent organizing, coaching, or traveling to sports tournaments with students. His involvement as coach for the NWT Archery Team at the 2017 North American Indigenous Games and the 2019 Canada Winter Games brought the first NWT athletes to the sport in those Games. Eugène also highly valued community connection, spending 16 years with the Yellowknife WIMPS Hockey Association, and creating/performing music to honour his Acadian culture. His relentless work ethic to his passions, commitment to the community, and steadfast dedication are values and traits that this Fund hopes to uphold.

Eva began her life of service on July 20th, 1925 on a farmstead outside of Edmonton, Alberta. She always had a cheery disposition and a welcoming smile and took the time to listen and give her full attention to all. She had the ability to fully attend to every individual she encountered. Eva always knew she would be a nurse, later graduating from the Edmonton General Hospital and first registered in Alberta in 1948.Eva’s first few years were spent in remote areas of Alberta. After taking a break from nursing to raise a family, Eva returned to nursing in 1970 in Churchill, Manitoba before moving to Fort Smith and then to Yellowknife. She was a founding member of the NWT Nursing Association and was an honorary lifetime member of the Association. She worked at the Stanton Cottage Hospital and helped with the establishment of homecare services in Yellowknife. A true northern nurse, Eva managed to see much of the North doing medical escort duty and community nursing. Eva blessed a multitude of people throughout her life with her gift of hospitality. Many nurses who cam North to work stayed at Eva’s bed and breakfast and she was able to introduce them to the culture and ways of the Northern nursing experience. Many are still here and contributing to the furtherance of nursing. To know Eva was “to feel at home”, safe, accepted and loved. Eva ran the Henderson Bed and Breakfast in Yellowknife from 1985 to 2014. Her kitchen table was like a mini United Nations with people from all over the world sitting around Eva’s cooking and her husband Eric’s stories. Her moto for the bed and breakfast was “come as guest, leave as friends”. Her correspondence list would grow as she kept in touch with her ever expanding family. Read more about the Fund here.

Kids Unlimited, a Yellowknife non-profit society that offered drama, art and other recreational programs for children and youth during the 1980s and early 1990s, established the Fine and Performing Arts Fund with the Yellowknife Community Foundation in 1999.

Fred Carmichael has been an influential leader who has committed himself to the economic growth and development of Indigenous people in Canada’s North. Fred Carmichael grew up on the land new Aklavik. When he was a young boy, he saw his first airplane, he fell in love with the dream of flying. He worked hard to purchase his own plane and eventually became the first Indigenous people in the Northwest Territories to earn his wings as a commercial pilot. When Fred Carmichael left the Gwich’in Tribal Council in 2008, twenty-seven businesses from across Canada recognized his efforts to provide northerners with northern training for northern jobs by contributing to this Student Award Fund. Through this Student Award Fund, Fred wished to encourage students to persevere through difficulties, as he had to do, in order to follow their dreams. The Fund awards students for their efforts and commitment to their studies in spite of any personal challenges. Contributors to the Fred Carmichael Student Award include the following business and organizations:Aboriginal Pipeline GroupBennet JonesBP CanadaChevronConoco PhillipsDevon CanadaDowlands Contracting Ltd.Field LawFirst Nations Bank of CanadaFlint EnergyGreat Slave HelicoptersGwich’in Ensign Oilfield ServicesGwich’in GeomaticsImperial OilInuvik Commercial Properties Joint VentureKiewit & SonsKPMGLedcorMackenzie Aboriginal CorpMGM EnergyNew North ProjectsNorth American Construction GroupPacific Western BankPetro CanadaRBC Capital MarketsShellTrans Canada Corporation