Ground-breaking transitional home for LGBTQI2S youth to open December 2020
Friends of Ruby (previously Egale Youth Services), the registered charity dedicated to LGBTQI2S youth well-being, is thrilled to announce the Friends of Ruby Home, an innovative custom-built transitional house for LGBTQI2S young people, will open its doors in December 2020. More than five years in the making, Friends of Ruby is deeply appreciative of the partners, donors, supporters and community members who turned this dream into a reality.
The project began in 2012, when Egale Canada published “Not Under My Roof”, a study that identified the crisis of LGBTQI2S youth homelessness and made clear the urgent need for services specifically for LGBTQI2S youth in the shelter system. Moved to action, Egale Canada started the construction of the Friends of Ruby Home and founded Egale Youth Services (now the Friends of Ruby Youth Centre) to better support and understand the needs of youth while the house was under construction.
“The opening of Friends of Ruby Home is a proud moment for Egale Canada”, says Jacki Lewis, Chair of the Egale Canada Board, “and we are incredibly thankful to everyone who has played a role in making this possible. From our donors and partners to the leadership of our Housing Advisory Board Members, the building of this home for LGBTQI2S young people has truly taken a village. When we come together, we have the power to change lives and because of the dedication and generosity of our community, countless LGBTQI2S youth will have a chance at a better future.”
Indeed, the project counted on the support of major donors such as The Daniels Corporation, The Clark Family Foundation, Martha LA McCain, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam and the City of Toronto and many other dedicated individuals, foundations and corporations who together provided the funds needed to build the Home. Community Partners such as Toronto Community Housing, Dixon Hall, Fife House and the Garden District Residents Association were also essential to put the transitional facility in motion.
Together with a substantial fund investment, The Daniels Corporation was responsible for bringing the facility to reality, committing endless hours of construction expertise to ensure the project was delivered despite historical building challenges. “The Daniels Corporation is proud to be the lead supporter of the Friends of Ruby Home”, says Don Pugh, Partner at The Daniels Corporation. “As an organization committed to social justice, we use the power of our business platform to lead, to create and to build inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities. It was incredibly gratifying to collaborate with such a passionate and dedicated group of professionals to build a safe place for vulnerable youth to call ‘Home’.”
The project also counted on the oversight of David Handley, Senior Vice President, Special Projects, at Cadillac Fairview, and the innovative design created by Yabu Pushelberg (interiors) and Sustainable. Design that grew from a comprehensive consultation process with LGBTQI2S youth and community partners. Youth noted the facility should feel warm and welcoming with plenty of natural light, windows that opened and the power to adjust individual room temperatures themselves – details that would make the space feel like their own. The result is an energy-efficient and pet-friendly space that feels like a Home, rather than an institution. A pet washing station, sponsored by PetSmart Charities of Canada, and a rooftop garden, made possible by the Home Depot Canada Foundation, complete the unique building.
A purposeful design is not the only special feature of the Friends of Ruby Home. “The Friends of Ruby Home is uniquely suited to help LGBTQI2S youth during these times due to its one of-a-kind mental health approach, including in-house programs and services tailored to their specific needs,” said Carol Osler, Friends of Ruby Executive Director. “From immediate crisis support to long-term life goal planning, everything at the facility will be geared towards helping youth achieve healthier, independent lives.”
The Friends of Ruby Home will open its doors to residents in December 2020, with staggered move ins to ensure everyone’s health and safety.
Our heartfelt thank-you goes out to everyone who supported the Friends of Ruby Home, including:
$3,000,000+ donors
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Martha LA McCain
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The Clark Family Foundation
$1,000,000 – $2,999,999 donors
$200,000 – $999,999 donors
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Mike and Martha Pedersen
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$100,000 – $199,999 donors
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Timothy M. Thompson
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Bill and Teri Currie
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Bob Dorrance and Gail Drummond
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John Cappozzolo and Paola Ceolin & Robert and Simone Cappozolo
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Harold E. Ballard Foundation
$50,000 – $99,999 donors
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Paul and Susan Douglas
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Terry Burgoyne
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Sharon Geraghty and Paul Wickens
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Paul Boniferro
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Bill and Bronwen Thomas
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Kerry Peacock
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Mark Samuel and Kevin Sanford
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Mary Lou Maher and Virginia Hatchette
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National Bank of Canada
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TD Securities
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Colleen and Brian Johnston
$10,000 – $49,999 donors
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Public Safety Canada
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Hon. William C Graham, P.C., C.M., Q.C.
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John Gordon
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Nimet & Riaz Ahmed Family Giving Foundation
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Torys LLP
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Elizabeth Hurly
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Colleen Moorehead
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Kelly Moffatt and Michael Fekete
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Bonte Minnema
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Geoffrey Smith
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S. Firoz Ahmed Professional Corporation
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Steven Smith
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Ruth Woods
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Marianne Smith and Lisa Trajlovic
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John Unger
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Jeremy Forgie Professional Corporation
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Andrew Fleming and Roger Keglevich
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Barbara Hooper
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Brad Berg and Brian Rolfes
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Catherine Meade
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Christopher Hewat
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Connie Reeve, in Memory of Bonnie Tough
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David W. Anderson
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Douglas Stollery
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Glenn Pushelberg
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Heather Killough
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John F. Clifford
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Malcolm and Tara Lang
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Marc Brazeau, CPA, CA
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Mark S. Bonham
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McKinsey & Company Canada
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Paul Douglas
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Richard J. Balfour
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Richard Silver
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Ryan Hindmarsh and Diane Niec
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Stephen J. Graham
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The Cantlon-McConvey Family
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Frank McKenna
$5,000 – $9,999 donors
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Gale Rubinstein
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Christina Hendrie Trust
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David Leonard
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Jean M Fraser
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John Macfarlane
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Mark Lehman and Greg Laciak
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Matthew Peters
$1,000 – $4,999 donors
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Colleen Dunning and Rachel Gottlieb
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Todd Melendy
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Amy Hanen
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David Handley
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Larry Lowenstein and Nina Lester
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Adam Ship
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Andrew Parker
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David Lever
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Douglas Cannon
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Konta Lake
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Nancy’s Very Own Foundation
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Shelley Obal
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Tom Sutton
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Thomas Tower
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Sanofi Pasteur
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Erin Hoult
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Gord Willcocks
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John Currie
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Steven Aronoff
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Rod Miller
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Chia-Yi Chua
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Cynthia MacDougall
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David Tait
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Kim Thomassin
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Shea Small
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The Catherine Donnelly Foundation
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Simon Elias
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Alison Kemper and Joyce Barnett
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Thomas Lax
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Drew Morier
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Andrew Grimes
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Carol Hall
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Cynthia Sefton
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Deborra-Lee Jackman
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Gail Asper, O.C., O.M., LL.D.
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Grant Jameson
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Jim Janetos
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Michael Salvatori
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Michel Langlois
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Molly Reynolds
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Pearse Murray
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Peter Brady
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Phillip Moody
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Poon Helen
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Randy Bauslaugh
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Richard Isaac
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Rogier Janssen
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Ron Nelson
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Samuel Leizorek
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Sheerin A. Sheikh
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Shirley Pushelberg
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Stephan Mehr
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Tzen-Yi Goh
Under $999 donors
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Konata Lake
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Sean O’Neill
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Isabel Henkelman and Rory McGillis
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Tim Leonard
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Arundel Gibson
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Adrian Mitchell
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Donald Peckover
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Mark D’Souza
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William Klein
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Michael Hale
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Daniel Bain
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Justin Schurman
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Helen Hoy
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Mathieu Malard
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Natalie Kelly
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Xudong Ding
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Patricia Poirier
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Amalia Klinakas
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Andy Radhakant
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Donna Daitchman
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Karen Mitchell
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Kevin and Desiliu McCallum
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Laura Redekop
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Jeff Kroll
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Ruby Knafo
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Patrick Hall
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Craig McClure
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Brenda J Simpson
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Brian Atkinson
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Claire Szatmari
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Dmytro Galagan
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Dylan Schoenmakers
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Edward Wood
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Evan De Rienzo
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James Geuzebroek
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Janine Pierre
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John Ryan
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Larry Baer
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Sal Polito
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Sharron Richards
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Wayne Madden
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Paul Melancon
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Brian Shackleton
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Brian Webster
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Daniel Groot
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David Conlin
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Fraser McDonald
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Janet Parsons
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Jim Nason
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Jorge Soto
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Joseph Wearing
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Kaycee Chapman
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Liz Gildner
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Miranda Pelay
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Randy Coates
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Stephanie Karapita
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William MacLean
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Erica Cartwright
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Keara Graves
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Michael Kursin
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Art Pearson
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Jodi Maclean
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Mariel Kelly
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Chantal Sevigny
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Francesca Pang
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Isabel Henkelman and Rory McGillis
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Rohit Jajoo
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Daniel Bain
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Kira Dawidowski
Capital Campaign Champions
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Mark Bonham
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Catherine Meade
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Bonte Minnema
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Ed Clark
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Martha LA McCain