Our History

George Pierson and Sheri Ranger founded the scholarship in 2024 with the dream of providing a gateway to higher education for single mothers who would otherwise not be able to pursue a college degree. With firsthand experience of raising her two daughters without the support of a partner or extended family, Sheri knows the challenges that come with raising children on her own and is eager to provide the necessary financial resources to see women like her prosper in an academic environment. Sheri and George have both experienced the painful loss of their mothers in adulthood and childhood, respectively, giving them a unique perspective on the invaluable presence of a mother in their child’s life. While their own mothers may no longer be alive, Sheri and George seek to honor their memories through this scholarship and provide countless single mothers with opportunities to which their own mothers were not privy.

“For several years, my mother raised me on her own, struggling to make ends meet. She worked tirelessly and took on multiple jobs in an effort to support her family. In the midst of it all, Doris still made time to take me to swimming lessons after school, the drive-in theatre with friends in the summer, all while instilling a foundational work ethic that I would carry through my life. Though she only received a high school education, she became highly successful in real estate, but more importantly, Doris was the best mother I could have asked for. When it came to her family, she was the most loving and caring person. She believed in me and inspired me to become the woman I am today. It is in her honour that we have created the Pierson Ranger Education Foundation, to show single mothers that, even when the odds are stacked against them, we will always be the people believing in the incredible things they are yet to achieve.”

-Sheri Ranger

“My mother, Patricia Pierson, passed away when I was 11 years old, yet she nevertheless left an indelible mark on me and my educational goals. The first in my extended family to go to university, I ultimately earned four advanced degrees. My mother’s constant emphasis on learning and growing made that possible. A mother’s influence over a child is immersible, and one of the most powerful is through the example she sets. By supporting single mothers’ abilities to further their education, we hope to create generational change – the way my mother did for me.”

-George Pierson