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Memorial award honouring Surrey Six victim awarded at KPU

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SURREY — The memory of innocent Surrey Six victim Ed Schellenberg lives on at Kwantlen Polytechnic University following the awarding of a scholarship in his name.

Douglas Rush, currently enrolled in KPU’s appliance servicing program, was recently named the inaugural recipient of the $1,000 Ed Schellenberg Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

Schellenberg was an innocent victim in the gang-related murder of six people that took place in a Surrey highrise on Oct. 19, 2007. A gasfitter, he went to service the fireplace in the unit where the killings took place, and himself became a victim.

Since his death, more than $20,000 was raised during five memorial golf tournaments, all in the name of establishing the Ed Schellenberg Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

“It’s really an honour,” said Rush on receiving the award. Previously, Rush spent 16 years owning and operating a Dog’s Ear T-Shirt franchise before making his career change. During that time, Schellenberg’s business partner was a customer of Rush’s.

A single father also raising two teenagers, Rush enrolled in the KPU program with the goal of providing a better life for his family.

“Douglas is an intelligent, modest and hardworking student,” said instructor and program chair David Fengstad. “He’s had a few curveballs thrown at him – life will do that – and he’s responded by making the most of this opportunity to get a great job that will give him and his family a more secure future.

According to a KPU release, “The Ed Schellenberg Memorial Endowed Scholarship recognizes a student who demonstrates a passion for giving, at work and in life, and strives to perfect his or her skills in order to benefit the lives around them.

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