A celebration of giving

This Tuesday was “Giving Tuesday,” a day established in recent years as a counterbalance to the commercialized retail events that take place immediately following American Thanksgiving (“Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday”). Its goal: to encourage and celebrate philanthropy and generosity.

Fitting, then, that Tuesday was also the date for Dalhousie’s Nova Scotia donor reception this year. The annual gathering welcomes and celebrates individuals and groups whose donations to the university support student scholarships, research projects, state-of-art facilities and more.

“You are making a real difference here at Dal in the lives of our students and lives of our researchers, [and] in advancing knowledge for all of us,” said Dal President Richard Florizone, speaking to the large crowd in the Life Sciences Research Institute’s main atrium.

At the back of the room, a large-screen monitor cycled through pictures of Dalhousie students who’ve received scholarship funding made possible through donations. In 2014-15, there were approximately 3,800 of those students, receiving a total of more than $8 million in funding.

One of those students is Alec Falkenham, a Dalhousie BSC grad (’10) who is currently undertaking PhD studies in Pathology at the university. This year, his work towards an innovative tattoo-removal cream generated international headlines and global attention.

Falkenham — who has received scholarship support from the Killam Foundation alongside the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation — also spoke at the ceremony. His message was one of thanks, recognizing that scholarships are important to provide students with space and support to explore their interests, discover new ideas and prepare for fulfilling careers.

“I’ve seen how scholarships can provide, motivation, confidence, a sense of recognition and the ability for one to live up to their full potential,” he said. “And had it not been for my scholarships, I may not have explored my ideas and would otherwise not be here speaking to you today.”

It was a theme echoed by Dr. Florizone.

“Whether it’s like Alec’s work making discoveries in the life sciences; or enriching our cultural space through the study of literature, the study of philosophy and performing arts; or shaping the economic viability of this region and our country through entrepreneurship, through engineering and public policy — in all of these areas, your support is allowing Dalhousie to make a real difference, allowing our students and faculty to make their mark on the world stage.”

To cap off the event, Dalhousie celebrated new members to its giving societies. The Heritage Society pays tribute to donors who have included Dalhousie in their estate plans, while the President’s Circle recognizes donors whose lifetime giving to Dalhousie has exceeded $100,000.

Left-to-right: Elvira Gonnella, Bruce Moxley, Michael Covert and President Florizone.

Heritage Society

• Elvira Gonnella, who was an associate professor in the Department of Music from 1974-1995. She supports a number of initiatives in the Foundation School of Arts, including the Elvira Gonnella Scholarship in Voice — support that will continue with her planned gift.
• Michael Covert, whose late was Carol was a Dal alumna (’72) and a dedicated nurse and administrator. Michael has honoured her memory with a bequest from his estate to establish the Carol Rene Covert Memorial Scholarship in Nursing.

President’s Circle

• Bruce Moxley and Bishop Sue Moxley, both of whom have held positions at Dalhousie: Sue as as a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, and Bruce as manager of clinics and building services for the Faculty of Dentistry, where he worked for 37 years before his retirement in 2011.