Giselle Bodkin, a volunteer member on Georgian College's Advancement Committee, wants to help female students realize their academic goals and career aspirations.

Inspired by a Women Moving Women event she attended, Bodkin is spearheading WOMEN's inTUITION, a fundraising campaign to recruit women to donate $50 a month for five years ($3,000 total) to a scholarship fund for women studying at Georgian.

The fund will complement more than 850 other awards and scholarships available to Georgian students.
Bodkin, a partner at BDO Canada, thinks of her late sister-in-law Leanne Kavanagh when she thinks of the female students this fund will help.
About 25 years ago, Kavanagh was working in an Orillia bar, making minimum wage to put herself through Georgian's nursing program part-time. Her parents couldn't afford to help her and she didn't qualify for financial aid. Through perseverance, Kavanagh went on to have a long career as a registered nurse at Trillium Manor.
When Kavanagh passed away from brain cancer, a note from one of her colleagues touched Bodkin. "Dr. Hall said Leanne was the embodiment of what nurses should be. You see, Georgian College isn't just giving people a leg up, its graduating fantastic people. It's giving people opportunities."
Many students at Georgian require financial assistance. Of the 24 public colleges in Ontario, Georgian ranks fourth when it comes to the percentage of students who apply for financial assistance through the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).
In November, all WOMEN'S inTUITION donors will be invited to a celebration at the Barrie Campus, presented by co-title sponsors Metroland Media Group and Meridian Credit Union. There will be live musical entertainment, gourmet food and educational displays, but most importantly, says Bodkin, the chance for the donors and students to network.
"We want the students at Georgian to meet these successful women. Some of them are professors, accountants, administrators, lawyers. These are just a few examples of the careers that women are pursuing in Barrie and we're very successful."
Bodkin asks that if you value education, to join her in this movement. Visit GeorgianCollege.ca/womensintuition to learn more.