'It's an honour': Scholarships awarded to students of fallen parents in the Canadian Armed Forces

Eighteen students with parents who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and died were awarded scholarships in a special ceremony held in downtown Toronto.

Canada Company, which focuses on bridging Canadian society and military communities to support families, awarded $5,000 scholarships to further their education.

Sarina Lizott, 23, studies management at Western University and spoke on behalf of all of the recipients at the ceremony. In 2020, she lost her dad in a workplace accident.

• Download our app to get alerts on your device

"It's an honour to get the scholarship, and it's just incredible to be here with everybody, and the fact that people are respecting the fallen parents, it's such a moving thing to be a part of," Lizott told CTV News Toronto.

Kayla Williams, 19, is studying to be a dental hygienist in Moncton. She was just two years old when a roadside bomb killed her dad in Afghanistan

"He was not actually supposed to go on this mission, someone failed a drug test and he took their place and I never saw him again, but he was always my biggest supporter. My family tells me if he was here today he would be so proud of me."

"It's a little overwhelming when you get in here at first," Williams said, "but at the end of it you feel so calm and relaxed and it really nice to build those relationships with the fellow recipients.'

Over 17 years, Canada Company has awarded 287 scholarships. This year, the amount increased from $4,000 to $5,000. In all, Canada Company has given $1.1 million to students.

For Canada Company's founder, Blake Goldring said the work is uplifting.

"I feel very, very pleased because this is a movement. This isn't about me, this is about a group of Canadians that really care about other Canadians," he said.

Goldring said while he and his team can't necessarily relate directly to the young people, they are there to show them they are with them and have their backs.

Sarina Lizott's father (left), Charlene Hatcher's step-father (centre) and Kayla Williams' father (right).

"[The ceremony] was really heartfelt because everyone knows the story of how you got into this club and how you earn the scholarship, and when you look at the people who receive them, you can't help but me inspired by them," said Brigadier-General Tod Strickland, Commandant of the Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Charlene Hatcher, 20, studies journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. Her stepdad died by suicide after serving in Afghanistan.

"For me to be here today and actually receive a scholarship that recognizes you have gone through a struggle, that this is no way repays, but it's going to help me continue my education, and actually going to help me get ahead in life, and work towards a larger goal," she said.

"It's really inspired me to keep reporting on these issues in school, keep reporting on the refugee crisis, and the military and the mental. It's not the only thing I focus on, but it's always there."