Nov/Dec 2023

Message from the Executive Director of Advancement

Annette Paul

At Havergal, giving back is in our DNA. From the time that students arrive on their first day, in conjunction with their studies, they are shown different ways they can help others. Whether it’s designing tools in Grade 6 science that help create a more accessible world; selecting accessibility initiatives as their area of designation for their graduating year fund; running food drives; supporting agencies working to combat food insecurity; leading parent volunteer fundraising events; or hosting Celebration Saturday annually for the benefit of community partners, Havergal’s broader community – students, parents, Old Girls/Alums, employees – place great value on the role they play as champions in support of others. 

Philanthropy is a key pillar of Havergal’s everyday life, which is evident through our culture and priorities. For decades, parents, Old Girls/Alums, employees, grandparents and other friends of Havergal have made generous philanthropic contributions in support of enhancements and expansions in areas such as student financial support, athletics, the arts, facilities and academic program. While the tuition contributions that families make support the work needed to educate students, there are key enhancements necessary to both keep pace and stay ahead of learning and skill-building that will keep Havergal students prepared and purposeful. These enhancements include recent renovations to the science facilities in the Upper School as well as program-enhancing contributions to the STEM Lab in the Junior School. It also includes support for the Wellbeing Program, which enables Havergal to host world-renowned experts as guest speakers. Donations to student financial support have long been a priority to families, Old Girls/Alums and employees. Removing financial barriers to talented students is enabled by the belief that a Havergal education is unique. Philanthropic contributions pave the current path and road ahead for girls in their education, leadership and empowerment. 

We couldn’t do it without you.

In the coming weeks, enhancing athletics, outdoor education and play facilities will be a focus of Havergal’s philanthropic efforts. Financial support helps expand and enhance the learning opportunities in these areas, providing the space for students and the broader community to learn and grow. On the field, in the water, at the gym and on the playground, Havergal students learn crucial lessons: courage, tenacity, goal-setting, teamwork and the pursuit of excellence. In addition to providing extensive health and wellness benefits, sport and outdoor play foster values that equip girls for long-term personal and professional success now and into the future. We look forward to sharing more about these opportunities for support in the coming months.

Annette

Applications for the Havergal College Board of Governors

Michael Copeland, Chair of the Governance Committee

I have the pleasure of writing to the Havergal community on behalf of the Governance Committee of the Board of Governors as this is our formal call for applications to serve on the Board or on a Board Committee.

The primary responsibility of the Governance Committee is to ensure that the Board is well-equipped to carry out its oversight role with respect to the College. Part of that responsibility is to continually evaluate how well the Board and its committees carry out their mandates and advance the College’s educational mission.

One of the most important things the Governance Committee works on is identifying and nominating strong candidates for the Board and its committees. This is an ongoing effort as we try to maintain a roster of broadly qualified candidates. Using a competency-based model, the committee identifies skills and constituencies that need to be considered as we plan for the future.

In reviewing applications, the Governance Committee looks to constitute a Board that balances a mix of competencies and experience, established and newer Old Girls/Alums, current and past parents, and independent members. The Board is also committed to ensuring there is diverse representation on the Board of Governors whose skills and experience align with our competency framework.

In assessing applications, the Governance Committee favours no particular professional background over another, but we frequently seek specific areas of experience and expertise. This year the committee is especially interested in identifying potential candidates with one or more of the following: philanthropic board and/or charitable foundation board experience; capital infrastructure project oversight experience; and CPA/CFO/operational finance/public accountancy experience. 

Governors are volunteers and must be willing to commit the substantial time, effort and energy necessary to fulfill the role and serve the school. It is also expected that a Board Governor will make Havergal one of their top personal charitable priorities.

If you are interested in being considered for the Board or a committee, please let us know by completing the Board of Governors Application Form by Friday, February 2, 2024. Additional details on the role and responsibilities of Board and committee members can be found here.

Michael

Empowering Excellence

During the past year, we have been steadily working on planning and developing our new strategic plan, which will help solidify Havergal’s position as a leader in girls’ education. Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation process and collaboration phase of our work. 

By leaning into our history, building on our mission and leveraging our strengths, we have designed a plan that responds to the ever-changing world and prepares students for the endless possibilities of the future. Through investments in our programs, people and facilities, we are confident that our vision will empower excellence across our campus and inspire the next generation of leaders. 

In the New Year, we look forward to sharing more details about vision, goals and progress with you. There will be opportunities for our community to become involved as we shape our path forward together. We are proud to bring our vision to life and ignite impactful change in girls’ education. 

Celebration Saturday 

Christine Spence and Kate Crokam, Celebration Saturday Co-Chairs

At Havergal, our commitment to creating positive change was evident during this year’s Celebration Saturday. This special day brought together generations of HC community members and underscored our dedication to the school’s mission, vision and values. It was wonderful to gather together to support a common goal: supporting our Community Partners.

We are pleased to share that our collective efforts resulted in a significant achievement—a fundraising total of $55,000! This generous contribution will directly support our partners. 

Through collaboration with organizations like Grenoble, Arts City and New Circles, we are able to provide both financial support and genuine co-learning experiences. Our approach centres on the four Ps—People, Place, Perspective and Partnership. Connecting students with our Community Partners fosters authentic relationships and emphasizes the value of reciprocal learning.

Thank you to everyone who supported this important event at Havergal. We are already looking forward to Celebration Saturday 2024!

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a day to inspire generosity, with a common mission to create a world where giving back is part of everyday life. The movement started in 2013 and has been gaining momentum ever since. This year, Giving Tuesday was on Tuesday, November 28, which we promoted across Havergal’s social media channels. 

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our community for your support on Giving Tuesday! Through your generous contributions to our financial support program, we can continue to move forward with our 129 year old mission of preparing young women to make a difference and be leaders and good citizens. If you haven’t already participated, we hope that you will join us as we strive to make a Havergal education inclusive and accessible for more students. Gifts of any amount are appreciated at: http://bit.ly/HavergalDonate

Grad Gift

Alisha Coroa, Manager of Annual and Leadership Giving

Thank you to the Class of 2023 for raising an incredible $137,000 toward mental health support and wellbeing at Havergal! This year, the Class of 2024 has decided to support accessibility initiatives as a part of their Grad Gift.  

This year’s Grads believe in providing support to those who might need additional assistance while making their way in the world. Some of the areas that could be supported by this fund include, but are not limited to, the following:

The Class of 2024 is well on its way to achieving their goal and has raised over $33,000 thus far. This group of Grads would appreciate you supporting their endeavour by using this link to make a contribution to their Havergal legacy. 

Fundraising Highlights from the 2022-23 School Year 

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Havergal received $2.6M (in pledges and one-time gifts) from more than 560 donors in 2022-23. Here are some facts about giving last year:

To read more about highlights from the past fiscal year, please read Havergal’s 2022-2023 Annual Report.

Did You Know?

_{1. Environics Analytics, “The Giving Report,” Canada Helps, 2023, https://indd.adobe.com/view/1fdaa5b9-65af-4325-86e2-628a1f02d797 (accessed November 2023).}

_{2. Royal Bank Canada, “The Picture of Giving in Canada,” RBC Wealth Management, 2023, https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-ca/insights/the-picture-of-giving-in-canada (accessed November 2023).}

Do You Ever Wonder What Donor Stewardship Really Means? 

Stewardship is about fostering relationships with the donor community following an initial donation. Not only does the stewardship process include gratitude and recognition of donors, it also involves demonstrating the impact of a donor’s philanthropic support. Stewardship activities—such as developing annual reports and personalized stewardship reports—ensure donors are informed about how their contributions are managed and how their gifts positively elevate the organization’s mission. Through stewardship, donors receive regular communications and expressions of gratitude, all of which help to convey the importance of philanthropy and encourage future giving. 

Here are some facts about giving in Canada¹:

To make a donation to Havergal College, please visit our Ways to Give page.

_{1. “Make the Most of Your Charitable Tax Credits,” CanadaHelps, 2023, https://www.canadahelps.org/en/tax-time/ (accessed in November 2023).}

Thank you for Supporting Ivy Market!

Havergal College Parents Association

On November 21, the HCPA kicked off the holiday season with our second annual Ivy Market. In addition to the bake sales and HCPA Marketplace, Ivy Market offered our HC community a chance to shop with local vendors, stock up on spiritwear and of course, socialize at the cocktail party. 

Thank you to everyone who helped make Ivy Market a success. Whether you fired up your oven for the bake sale, volunteered your time to help out at the event, dropped by during the day to shop or came to the fabulous evening cocktail party, we couldn’t have done it without you! 

Specifically, we would like to thank: Liz Phipps, Sherry Zhao, Arti Patel and Julia Skliarenko, who co-chaired the bake sales; Tim Costigan and Jaswinder Salh who oversaw the cocktail party; Martha Fell who organized an impressive selection of vendors; Lisa Windover and Mahnaz Hamidzadeh who co-chaired the HCPA Marketplace; and Cory Ellison who led event communications. An extra special thanks goes to Lisa Windover, Sarah D’Souza and Alex Hodgson for their hard work and creativity in spearheading the whole event. We also couldn’t have done this without the tireless support of HC’s Manager of Parent Relations Christine Spence and Admin Assistant Alex Hine. 

All funds raised by Ivy Market will be put toward the HCPA’s fundraising goals. Click here to view photos from the event. 

Save the Date for Gator Gala

Saturday, April 13

All Upper School students and an adult guest are invited to join us for an evening of dining and dancing “carnival style”—more details will come soon!

End of Year Giving

As we approach the end of 2023, we take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support of Havergal. We are extremely grateful for the donations that many members of our community have made to The Havergal Fund in support of our mission to prepare young women to make a difference and to take on an ever-changing world with confidence, resilience and global-mindedness.

We hope you will consider donating this year to The Havergal Fund at a level that feels right for you. It is the power of our collective leadership and generosity that fuels Havergal to ideate, create, expand and enrich pathways to even greater innovation and understanding as we educate the next generation of leaders.

To make a gift, please use this link to be a part of the force that is driving girls’ education forward.

To receive a 2023 tax receipt, your donation must be received by December 31 (cheques must be dated on or before December 31). Every donation will have an impact on our ability to enhance or expand opportunities for bright minds.

Staying Connected With Our Old Girls/Alums

Kate Crokam, Director, Alumni Engagement

Fall alumni engagement initiatives included the inaugural Havergal Connections Presents: Joanna Griffiths ’01 and the Knix Entrepreneurial Journey event. With nearly 150 attendees, this gathering marked a significant milestone, kickstarting the Havergal Connections Presents series. Joanna Griffiths’ insightful discussion not only captivated the audience, but also set the tone for future events, emphasizing our commitment to providing enriching experiences for Old Girls/Alums. Joanna also spoke to riveted students during Prayers earlier in the day. 

Similarly, Reunion 2023 proved to be a success, enticing over 400 Old Girls/Alums to return to campus for an unforgettable homecoming celebration. This year, we introduced several new and engaging events as part of the reunion festivities, such as a Former Boarders Dinner, creating an even more vibrant and inclusive experience for the alum community. 

Our commitment to fostering connections extends beyond flagship, GTA events. We are also excited to highlight the success of two young alum socials hosted in Kingston and London, specifically tailored for our most recent graduates studying at Queen’s and Western Universities. These events offered a chance for young alumni to engage in networking, exchange experiences and re-establish connections with the Havergal community, highlighting our commitment to fostering a supportive network for Old Girls/Alums beyond their time at Havergal.

Reflecting on the achievements of Celebration Saturday and our fall alumni activities, we encourage you to explore the captivating stories featured in the digital magazine, Chronicle. This publication captures the core of Havergal Community’s accomplishments, offering a glimpse into the significant moments and connections that mold the shared journey. Read Chronicle magazine to stay connected and to delve into the evolving positive transformations at Havergal.

Amidst the continuation of these initiatives, we express our heartfelt thanks to the Havergal community for your unwavering support, acknowledging that your dedication is crucial to the success of our endeavors.

Angela Paschalidis

Advancement Officer

Angela Paschalidis is an Advancement Officer in the Advancement department. She is a dedicated fundraising professional with a career spanning over 14 years in the education sector. She has honed her expertise through impactful roles at institutions such as University College at the University of Toronto, Toronto French School and Bayview Glen.

Working closely with the Executive Director of Advancement, Ms. Paschalidis helps to cultivate and solicit donors for school priorities and securing support for programs and projects. Her work has been instrumental in steering major projects, organizing key cultivation activities with leadership-giving donors and supporting the creation of communications materials.

Since starting at Havergal in 2022, her favourite interactions have come from opportunities to work with students. Her strategic acumen ensures alignment with organizational objectives, playing a pivotal role in realizing Havergal College’s priorities.