Bob Jez Memorial Scholarship
In his final weeks in hospice, Bob was still checking in regularly with friends over Facebook messenger and sharing messages of positivity and kindness. As part of his legacy, we promised to continue his work of being a strong influence on young Londoners and promoting and furthering education whenever possible.
Starting in 2018, the board of directors for Dad Club London pledged to give at least $500 in Bob’s memory every Spring to a deserving individual who was pursuing their post-secondary dreams.
Robert “Bob” Jez was a father, a husband, a teacher, a football coach, a diehard Chicago Bears fan, and a friend to all. He was diagnosed with colon cancer way too young, and left this earth way too soon on November 1, 2017, just shy of his 40th birthday.
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In his brief time with us, he played football for Catholic Central High School and Western University, had three lovely children with the love of his life Emily, and molded many impressionable young minds all over the school board as a teacher and as a coach.
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Over the final weeks of his life, Bob received dozens of visits in hospice from Dad Club London members to help keep him company while his wife Emily was occupied. He is pictured here with member Chris Cherry.
Please take a chance to read about the recipients. Information on applying for this year’s award can be found at the bottom of the page.
2020 recipient
Carlene Leslie
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Recreation and Leisure Studies, Fanshawe College
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The year 2020 brought some of the most unique times we have seen in our modern life. The COVID-19 pandemic and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter movement to the forefront of our collective consciences led to the need to unite as human beings more than ever before, despite being more isolated than we ever have existed in an attempt to slow the spread of the Coronavirus.
A member of ours came to us with a story. He is a resident of Jamaica and in Canada with his wife and daughter while his wife attends college at Fanshawe. At one of his two jobs that he works a combined 70 hours a week to cover living expenses and tuition, our member Maurice experienced an act of racism.
Once Dad Club London discovered this experience, they came together to secretly collect as much money as possible to help alleviate the pressure of paying for school on the Ellis family.
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Collectively they were able to raise over $6,600 for Carlene, a straight-A student, and unveil the award to her as a total surprise that can be viewed on Youtube and on London Free Press.
Maurice and Carlene Ellis, along with their daughter Amaya after being awarded the 2020 Bob Jez Award by Dad Club London Directors Sgt. Gary Bezaire and Ryan Blake
2019 recipients
Dad Club London VP Sav Neth with Sydney Sweetman
Tie - Sydney Sweetman and Sean Leckie
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Sydney Sweetman
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In 2019, the Bob Jez Award was given via nomination and vote at a Dad Club London board meeting. We could not pick a winner between two finalists and split the award in half between Sydney Sweetman and Sean Leckie. Sydney Sweetman was nominated by Sav Neth. She is the daughter of the 2021 Dad Club London Hall of Fame Inductee Jamie Sweetman and is like two peas in a pod when it comes to being the mirror image of kindness, like her father.
Sean Leckie
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Sean was nominated by Board Member Sgt. Gary Bezaire, as Sean’s mother was tragically killed in 2009 and Sean was a part of the very first homicide case he and his team solved. Sean had managed to rebound from the tragedy he lived as a child and was pursuing his dream of attending college with his dad’s support.
Dad Club London VP Sav Neth with Sean Leckie and his father
2018 recipient
Kalei Pitre
Social Work, King’s College University
Kalei was awarded $500 as the inaugural winner of the Bob Jez Memorial Scholarship after penning a beautiful and heartfelt essay describing how her own father Mike inspired her to dedicate her career to helping and supporting others as a Social Worker after seeing how he was able to change lives for the better as a sponsor in the AA program.
Kalei Pitre and her father Chef Mike receiving the inaugural Bob Jez Award from DCL President Jeremy McCall and Directors Ryan Blake and Derek Tang
2021 APPLICATIONS
The 2021 Bob Jez Memorial Scholarship award can be applied to by filling out this form.
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The application will close on April 1, 2021, and will be awarded on April 15, 2021. You must be affiliated with a Dad Club London member in some way to be eligible to win.
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As of February 8, 2021, the 2021 Award is at $675. This amount will increase throughout the spring and will be updated.