'Thank you' to all the philanthropists

“Volunteers, donors, ambassadors and advocates” are getting a big thank-you this weekend — not just from UW but from all the other organizations that they support.

Sunday is National Philanthropy Day, an annual observation that began in the United States in the 1980s and is official in Canada for the first time this year with a declaration by the federal minister of Canadian heritage, James Moore. (“The philanthropic spirit of giving is central to the values of Canadians and is worthy of recognition, whether it be donating or volunteering,” said Moore’s statement.)

About 50 student volunteers are expected tomorrow for the third annual “thank-a-thon” event, in which they’ll be making phone calls and writing cards to thank some of the alumni and other friends of the university who fund scholarships and bursaries as well as other UW projects. It’s the third annual thank-a-thon; the photo shows volunteers at the first one, in 2007.

National Philanthropy Day organizers can point to massive, Canada-wide support for the country’s 161,000 “nonprofit and voluntary organizations”, including universities, churches, food banks, medical research agencies and service clubs. Donations to such groups total more than $10 billion a year, and in addition Canadians give 2 billion volunteer hours annually, according to a study called the Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating.

UW benefits from its share of that volunteer effort, and also from philanthropy that’s measured in dollars: $53.3 million in 2008-09, according to an annual report being published this week.

“Philanthropy plays an ever more important role in all of our lives,” says Erin Sargeant Greenwood, who’s closely involved with much of that giving as UW’s associate vice-president (annual and planned giving).

“Through the thank-a-thon,” she says, “we want to recognize and thank the many people who give to UW, as well as educate our students about how the philanthropy of others, both financial and volunteering, affects them every day — whether they have received a bursary or scholarship, have an alumni mentor, utilized the library, or have spent time in one of the many buildings and classrooms that would not exist without generous donor support.”

And she points out that there are philanthropists by the thousands right on campus: the faculty, staff and students who give to UW, of course, but also all those who contribute to the United Way or give money or time to charities, environmental organizations and civic projects.

The international society for people in her line of work is the Association of Fundraising Professionals, which sponsors National Philanthropy Day. The local “Golden Horseshoe Chapter” of the AFP is holding an awards luncheon today and will honour its Philanthropist of the Year for the Waterloo-Wellington region, who was nominated for that distinction by UW.

The award winner is Mary Bales (left), an agent for the local firm Coldwell Banker Peter Benninger Realty, where she focuses on residential real estate and annually receives national recognition for her achievements.

Bales has been a volunteer with the Kitchener-Waterloo United Way, the board of Grand River Hospital, the YWCA which operates a large women’s shelter, and the Centre in the Square board. She has served on UW’s board of governors and chaired its building and properties committee, is a high-level donor, and was recognized in 2007 as one of the outstanding fifty alumni during the 50th anniversary celebrations.

Says a biographical statement: “The culmination of Mary’s professional and volunteer activities has been her creation of Heartwood Place in 2001. Committed to providing ‘safe, affordable and adequate housing’, the organization’s first project at 19 Gaukel Street in downtown Kitchener received a National Housing Award for Best Practices. Heartwood Place is now redeveloping the former Cambridge Reporter site in downtown Galt into 66 new apartments.”

“Mary exemplifies the spirit of the University of Waterloo,” says Paul Dickson, stewardship officer for principal gifts in UW’s development office. “She’s a leader and visionary, and is extremely innovative in her approach to helping citizens in the Kitchener-Waterloo community. She works tirelessly with Heartwood Place to fill the affordable housing gap within the region, as well as devoting much of her time and financial assistance to many other organizations that she’s passionate about, including the University of Waterloo.”

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New efforts to put co-op students into jobs

A total of 66 co-op students who wanted jobs this term don’t have them, says a final report on fall term employment from the co-op and career services department.

“I’m pleased to say that our final fall employment rate is 98.4%,” says a memo from the executive director of CECS, Peggy Jarvie. “This includes students employed and not participating.”

She reports that 61 more students were scheduled out to work for this work term (4,134) than for fall 2008 (4,073). “Approximately the same number of students were employed for each of the two work terms; 3,961 for fall 2009 and 3,970 for fall 2008. During a period of recession and increasing unemployment, these results compare very favourably with the fall 2008 work term rate of 99.6%.

“The slightly lower employment rate and the higher number of students scheduled for a work term this fall result in more students unemployed for this term. 66 students, in Math, Engineering and Arts, remain unemployed compared to only 15 for fall 2008.”

Jarvie notes that “There are many efforts, from students and from CECS staff, involved in achieving these employment numbers. For example, as reported in the summer, CECS became a regional administrator for Industry Canada’s Small Business Internship Program in May. 21 Waterloo students have been employed to date as a result of this program, and an additional 21 jobs have been posted for the winter 2010 term. Through CECS and the SBIT, $327,000 has been put into employer pockets to pay students. And an additional ten Waterloo students have been employed through the Middlesex SBIP, through the collaboration built with that office.”

Her memo also looks ahead to next term: “As of November 4, 5,554 students are scheduled out to work for the winter 2010 work term, 340 more than the 5,214 for the winter 2009 work term, and 1,400 more than were scheduled out to work for the fall term. The main round of interviews ended with the match on November 2, resulting in an ‘employed and not participating’ rate of 49.5%, compared to 54% this time last year. 2,626 students are employed for the winter 2010 work term, 106 fewer than the 2,732 for winter 2009. 405 more students than last year are still seeking employment.

“About 50% more students are not participating for the winter work term than at this time last year, 25% of whom were directed to do so by the university. The job to student ratio for the Winter term has declined from 0.93 at this time last year to only 0.67.

“CECS is working hard to retain current jobs, increase the number of jobs with existing employers, and develop relationships with new employers.”

Jarvie also announced that “to accelerate our efforts, effective yesterday we have appointed a New Business Development Manager in a contract role, to provide a dedicated job development focus in growing and building relationships with industry representatives and new employers within untapped areas. He will also identify and create best practices in the field regarding job development which will complement the work already being done by field coordinators.

“Formerly COO of Allan Window Technologies, Rob Vanderlaan has also held several senior positions within the automotive industry over the past 25 years and is schooled in mechanical engineering and manufacturing/operations, attaining his degree from the General Motors Institute, Michigan.”

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Lecture tonight: 'less aid to Africa'

International economist Dambisa Moyo, named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine, will discuss her controversial call for less international aid to Africa during a public talk on Friday.

Zambian-born Moyo will give the 2009 Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Service Lecture, entitled "Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa”. The lecture, sponsored by by St. Paul's University College, begins at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Humanities Theatre.

In her lecture, Moyo will argue for more innovative ways to finance African development, including the capital markets, fairer trade, and micro-finance.

"Dr. Moyo draws on her professional experience and a deep concern for her native Africa to argue that decades of aid has made African governments unresponsive to the real needs of their citizens while fuelling a culture of destructive aid dependency," said Larry Swatuk, director of UW’s International Development program. "We are excited to have such a provocative thinker as Dr. Moyo as a guest speaker."

The Bachelor of Environment degree in international development is based at St. Paul’s and in the new School of Environment, Enterprise and Development. The degree program, which provides students with environmental and business knowledge so that they can plan sustainable projects, features an eight-month international field work placement.

Moyo, 40, completed a doctoral degree in economics at Oxford University and holds a master's degree from Harvard University. Before writing her best-selling book Dead Aid, she worked for the global investment firm Goldman Sachs and the World Bank in Washington, DC.

For her efforts to change how Westerners approach African development, Time recently named Moyo one of its 100 “most influential” people in the world.

The 2009 Stanley Knowles Humanitarian Service Lecture is sponsored by St. Paul's in partnership with the Faculty of Environment, the Centre for International Governance Innovation and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. The lecture honours the late Stanley Knowles, who served 41 years as a Member of Parliament.

CAR

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