The Janes family has donated $50,000 across several areas at George Brown College focusing on assisting the diverse student population at the College. The donation is directed to three areas: the COVID-19 Foodshare Emergency Food Box Fund, the Black Student Support Network and Indigenous Education & Services (IES).
The Janes donated $10,000 to the COVID-19 Foodshare Emergency Food Box Fund. The donation will help offset some of the costs involved in providing healthy food baskets to food insecure students and wider George Brown College community during the pandemic.
Another donation of $15,000 was made by the Janes family to fund an Academic Support Tutor at the Black Student Support Network (BSSN). The donation will cover the cost of procuring the services of a tutor over the course of the 2020-2021 academic year, providing students from the BSSN with access to free academic support during their time at the College.
Their third donation of $25,000 will fund five scholarships to full-time students that identify as Indigenous during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Karen Janes stated, “We were concerned about leveling the playing field for Black and racialized communities. The Janes family thinks that support for Black, Indigenous and marginalized students at George Brown College is a meaningful cause that aligns with our philanthropic giving.”
Andria Lewis-Alexander, Coordinator, Student Engagement Initiative, stated, “The Janes’ support for the Black Student Success Network, will go a long way to addressing some of the obstacles racialized students face while pursuing postsecondary education.”
Director of the Indigenous Initiative, Jennifer Campeau, said of the donation, “The Janes are to be commended for their thought leadership in providing this support for Indigenous students in need to continue to access postsecondary education here at George Brown College.”
President of the George Brown College Foundation, Dr. Cindy Gouveia, also stated, “The Janes family has initiated actions through their donation that will have significant, long-term, tangible, positive effects on the lives of Black, Indigenous and marginalized students at George Brown College, and for that, we thank them.”
