energize: the campaign for eyes high

thank you. together we have achieved an incredible, historic milestone for the university of calgary, and for our community.

the 2014 brentwood tragedy that saw five young people senselessly lose their lives was an unspeakably heartbreaking event. but it also inspired an outpouring of compassion and generosity. in striving to help young adults build personal resiliency, calgary rancher and businessman john simpson helped create ucalgarystrong — a dynamic, campus-wide initiative aimed at equipping students with skills to become grounded leaders able to cope with the stress of student life.

these are the stories — your stories — of how meaningful giving can change people, and the world, for the better.

youthful ambition

at 15, carolina romeo started university, made the varsity field hockey team, and was awarded one of the most prestigious renewable scholarships on campus.

loneliness matters at every age

researchers at the mathison centre are working to not only debunk damaging mental health myths around depression in seniors, but also rapidly uncover solutions.

upstanding citizens

upstanders speaks to heart of the donor whose gift established ucalgarystrong nearly five years ago.

be inspired by more stories of how giving ignites positive change

energize: the campaign for eyes high is the third-largest successfully completed fundraising campaign in canadian history. we have more than a billion reasons to celebrate, but the most important reason is you.

the passion, vision and devoted involvement of our philanthropic family here and around the world has elevated students, accelerated research, driven innovation, strengthened partnerships, and transformed our campus and our city.

students at the orientation pep rally 2019

students walk around UCalgary main campus

voices of energize

there's a story behind every gift to the energize campaign. giving impacts people on both sides of every gift, and empowers transformative change in the world. meet a few of our inspiring friends and champions who have driven, illuminated and given meaning to the energize journey.

thank you to the following community leaders, philanthropists, supporters, alumni and faculty for sharing your words for the voices of energize video.

participants

rahul arora, bhsc’19; rhodes scholar

namratha badawadagi; student

jaydeep balakrishnan; retired faculty member

varun bhatt, bcomm’20, bsc’20

mark blackwell, bcomm’11; partner, builders vc, philanthropist

emily boucher, bhsc’19; rhodes scholar

emily chen; student

mavis clark, bed’72, med’82; philanthropist

geoff cumming, ba’74, lld’16; chairman, optisolar, inc., philanthropist

dani currie; student

manpreet deol, bsc’20; rhodes scholar

max eisele, bsc’20

dr. chen fong, lld’19; professor emeritus, philanthropist

diane hunter, ba’67, ma’69, lld’19; hunter family foundation, philanthropist

margaret kangas; bsc (eng)'19

dr. michael kehler; phd; faculty

ash kolstad, bsc’19; graduate student

saifa koonar, bcomm’92, mba’02; ceo, alberta children’s hospital foundation, partner

hal kvisle, mba’82, lld’19; chairman, arc resources, philanthropist

dr. richard leigh; faculty

colton lewis, bcomm’15; philanthropist

dr. ian lewis, phd; faculty

dr. david lertzman, phd; faculty

dr. steve liang, phd; faculty

dr. joshua madsen, phd; faculty

ron mathison; chairman, matco investments, philanthropist

dr. nabeela nathoo, bsc’90, md’17, phd’17; student, donor

safia nathoo, bsc’07, msc’09, mba’14; staff, donor

emmanuel olapade; student

dr. ed pajor, phd; faculty

maria pavlova, ba’15, msc’19; student

dr. kristina rinker, phd; faculty

boston rowe, bcomm’18

dr. pere santamaria, md, phd; faculty

dr. baljit singh, phd; faculty, donor

don taylor, lld’07, ruth taylor; philanthropist

mike tims, bcomm’76, lld’09; vice chairman, matco investments; philanthropist

aritha van herk; faculty, donor

deb yedlin; chancellor

the energize campaign is defined by a fearless and visionary collective striving for excellence. this historic initiative is committed to unleashing student potential; to advancing research, new knowledge and innovation; and to building a resilient city and world. thanks to our exceptionally ambitious and devoted community, we are changing lives and shaping the future for generations to come.