Among the "Havergal Old Girls" - alumni of one of Toronto's more prestigious private girls' schools - is friend Margie Zeidler, now head of the UrbanSpace Property Group, who are behind two extraordinary buildings in Toronto that support artists and social entrepreneurs. An invitation from Margie back in 2004 lead ultimately to the extraordinary connection with the community on Haida Gwaii and the acquisition of the piece of the amazing Golden Spruce that is in many ways the face and voice of Voyageur.
So it was an extra pleasure today to be the keynote speaker for Havergal's Partnership Day - a day dedicated to encouraging students to think about the ways they can make a difference in the world. Music teacher Paul McCulloch had written a song for Voyageur just for the occasion and scored it for the school band and orchestra with student Elie Park playing Voyageur for the assembly.
It was an amazing day and an honor to be among some other extraordinary guests who came in to inspire the students, including pal Mark Kingwell, Bishop Mark MacDonald - Anglican Bishop for Canada's Indigenous Peoples - and civic engagement guru Dave Meslin.
Very special thanks to the day's organizers, old friend Ann Peel and new friend Jocelyn O'Connor (pictured) for inviting me to be part of the day. Thanks also to principal Dr. Susan Groesbeck and all the staff and students at Havergal.
Posted at 5:45 PM