Friday, February 7th, 2025

If Tony Fry asks you out for breakfast, it may be because he sees you as an ally in his ongoing mission to see more local youth heading off to post secondary school…  or he may just be hungry.

Bob Ransier received such an invitation recently.

Fry invited him out for breakfast with the intention of asking him if he would consider donating to the RAY’s Place scholarship program. Fry brought along cohorts Ted Morgan, with whom Fry initiated the scholarship program, and Rowland Fleming to help with his spiel, even though he wasn’t quite sure in that moment what the spiel would be.

Fry said he didn’t get too far before Ransier stopped him.

“He said, ‘If you have invited me out for breakfast to ask me for $20,000, the answer is no.’ But when Rowland told Bob about the young woman he is supporting, his demeanor changed right away.”

Morgan shared his experience also and Ransier decided to give it a second thought.

He approached his sister, Betty Belfry, and together they agreed to donate the $20,000.

Belfry said she and her brother inherited money from their parents, who were very involved in the community of Creemore, so they decided to provide the scholarship in their parents’ memory. Their father owned and operated Ransier Transport and was a two-term councillor for the former Nottawasaga Township. He and Marg were long-time members of the Creemore Curling Club and Legion members.

“Student loans can be overwhelming. It’s a big help, when the parents don’t have the money,” said Belfry. “Tony is avid about helping these students.”

Fry started RAY’s Place Youth Resource Centre with the late Jim Vandewater in 2008.

“It mushroomed right away,” said Fry. It was a big success and it surprised both of us. We knew we had a winner.”

Fry said a 2009 study showed the County of Simcoe had the ninth lowest number of youth in the province enrolling in post secondary education. The three reasons were because their parents hadn’t gone on to college or university, they hadn’t had a good experience in high school and a lack of money.

That was the impetus for the scholarship program. Fry didn’t want to see anyone miss out on an education because of any of those factors, especially a lack of funds.

Fry, who worked with youth during his career at the YMCA, said he would like to see youth have the opportunity to do whatever they want to do in life. “To support their families and contribute in a joyful way.”

So far, RAY’s Place has secured 11 scholarships worth $220,000 since the first one donated by Morgan in 2012, and another $8,000 in bursaries.

Fry said the main goal of RAY’s Place is to get youth off to post-secondary school and the way they do it is to bring them up through the Rent-a-Youth program, for which the resource centre is named.

That is why Fry has worked to restore the Rent-a-Youth program as it was at its inception – people can hire youth 13-18 years old, through RAY’s Place to do certain odd jobs by the hour.

Last year, the board of directors went through a risk assessment and backed away from being an employer of youth. Fry said they have worked to minimize the risk to the youth, board members and clients by increasing insurance, safety training and information, to reduce liability and recently the board of directors voted unanimously to restore the Rent-a-Youth program.

“It’s not about getting your grass cut,” said Fry. “It’s about getting to know the kids and getting them to go to school.”

So, come the New Year, Fry will be organizing workshops at the high schools in RAY’s Place catchment area. He will be spreading the word that at least two scholarships are up for grabs in the coming year.

RAY’s Place will also be continuing with its free tutoring and other programs. He encourages youth to apply for scholarships, even if they may not qualify for a RAY’s Place scholarship, there is other money out there. He says, RAY’s Place once gave a $100 bursary to a student who wanted to take a music exam but didn’t have the funds. Anyone who wants to go to post-secondary school should contact him and he will help them navigate the world of scholarships and bursary applications.

Tony Fry is committed to helping youth on their way to higher education.

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