Allwest Commerical Furnishings and George Smith

Since 2005, Edmonton-based full-service office furniture provider Allwest Commercial Furnishings has been a donor and friend of NorQuest College. Retired CEO George Smith has also shared his leadership and philanthropy with the college and the community, using his position to be a major advocate for people with disabilities.

This year, Allwest and Mr. Smith have reinforced the spirit of their friendship with NorQuest College with a major contribution to the Transitions to Employment Program. The Transitions to Employment Program is designed to provide employment training and guidance for adults with mild cognitive disabilities. Through a combination of classroom and workplace training, graduates are empowered with the skills to obtain employment and establish independent living. This generous donation from Allwest and Mr. Smith will have a great impact on renovating and maintaining the program’s facilities.

Thank you to both Allwest and Mr. Smith for all they have done and for their continuing support of our students and community.

Hawa Sheriff

Helping students so they can help others

It’s a Wednesday in the summer of 2016, and 24-year old Hawa Sheriff anxiously looks forward to a future lunch date with people she has never met.

“I am going to be nervous at first,” says Sheriff, a NorQuest College academic upgrading student about meeting the donors who contributed to her education in the form of a scholarship. “It takes so much courage to do what they have done. I am going to hug them because they have changed my life in a very good way.”

The donors, who prefer to remain anonymous, have been connected to NorQuest College for over a decade, changing the lives of students since 2002 through a scholarship in the name of their late son.

“They are actually saving lives. And it’s not just my life; they are going to help me help other people. My future goal is to become a nurse for young mothers,” says Sheriff, who begins the new school year on August 29, and plans on enrolling in NorQuest’s Practical Nurse program in 2017.

“I had my son when I was very young and it was very difficult for me. But having a baby was part of my journey, and one day that journey will allow me to help young mothers go to school and become something.”

L to R: Patrick LaForge, Edmonton Oilers President and COO; Dr. Jodi L. Abbott, NorQuest President and CEO; Lynn Faulder, College Board Chair; and Richard Wong, Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Board Chair, attend the launch of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Hospitality Institute at NorQuest College.

Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation

The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation has been a long-term supporter and friend to NorQuest College. In 2003, they established the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Award for first-year career program students. This year, they reinforced their commitment to education at NorQuest College with a $1.5 million investment to create the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Hospitality Institute and bursaries valued up to $2000 each for students who need financial support. The Institute’s education hub includes a state-of-the-art kitchen laboratory fully outfitted with specialized equipment to enable hands-on learning opportunities, and a computer lab and classroom. It is estimated that 1,000 citizens over the next 10 years will access education through the direct support of the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation.

“Congratulations to NorQuest and the EOCF for this very positive announcement,” says Patrick LaForge, Oilers President and COO. “With Rogers Place set to open its doors in fall 2016, we know there will be lots of opportunities for graduates of the institute.”

The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Hospitality Institute will provide training programs that are relevant and customized for Alberta’s hospitality industry and will open doors to employment opportunities for inner city residents and at-risk youth in the community.

“NorQuest College is extremely proud to partner with the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation on this exciting opportunity,” says Dr. Jodi L. Abbott, NorQuest President and CEO. “We are committed to providing workforce relevant programming that aligns with the needs of the community.”

Thanks to the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation, students have and will continue to pursue an array of career goals at NorQuest College.

Robert Rosen

Singhmar Centre room named in honour of Zita and Jack Rosen

Robert Rosen attributes his compassion for community and success as President and CEO of City Lumber and Millwork to two special people: his parents.

In honour of their memory, Robert has contributed $25,000 for a meeting room in the Singhmar Centre for Learning, set to open in fall 2017. The Zita and Jack Rosen Meeting Room will be located on the fourth floor of the new 22,500m² NorQuest Edmonton downtown campus addition.

Robert’s parents founded the company nearly 75 years ago. Although it has supplied material for some of the largest construction projects in the world, its foundation is built upon more than profitability, with fundamental values of respect, tolerance, and community. These values are instilled in the company’s office which feature an eclectic variety of photos and art pieces representing different cultures. This, combined with Robert’s welcoming and genuine demeanor, bring a sense of warmth and hominess. It’s the same feeling NorQuest College strives to give its students, who hail from all backgrounds and all walks of life.

“Everybody has the right to be treated with dignity,” he says.

And after watching how his mother ran the family and took a strong leadership role in the business, Robert places an especially high regard for women.

“Be respectful to women,” he says. “And if you’re really wise, you will learn from them.”

More than half of NorQuest College students are women. And similar to NorQuest, Robert believes lives can be transformed through education. One example is Aboriginal women in the trades.

“We need to give them a shield of education so they can take care of themselves and their children,” he says.

Robert’s longstanding commitment to NorQuest College includes donating to the Tutorial Centre, student success initiatives, and the Alberta Aboriginal Construction Career Centre.

Steven and Day LePoole

Longtime supporters and friends of NorQuest College, Steven and Day LePoole have stepped forward with a major contribution of $250,000 to Maximizing Opportunities – The NorQuest Campaign.

In recognition of their friendship to the college and generous support of the campaign, a student gathering place located in the new Singhmar Centre for Learning will be named the Steven & Day LePoole Knowledge Commons.

The LePoole’s have supported many different college initiatives. From the Learner Access Bursary, to the 1000 Women: A Million Possibilities movement, and the Steven and Day LePoole Social Work Scholarship.

Steven LePoole is a former member of the NorQuest College Board of Governors, a recipient of a NorQuest College Honorary Diploma, and a past mentor of Pathways to the Future presented by the EPCOR mentorship program.

“I am an immigrant like many NorQuest students, but I have only a small understanding of what the current generation of immigrants have to deal with when they come to Canada,” says Steven. “They have a very steep learning curve and I am happy to help with that learning curve.”

Thank you to the LePoole’s for their amazing generosity and friendship over the years and their continuing support of our students.

Dr. S. Ann Colbourne

Sharing the good life

Allowed every opportunity to succeed as a young woman, Dr. S. Ann Colbourne flourished and achieved her lifelong goals.

In a perfect world, everyone would be so lucky. In Dr. Colbourne’s world many will, thanks to her generosity and support of NorQuest College’s 1000 Women: A Million Possibilities fundraising campaign. The 1000 Women movement is a powerful example of women working together for the betterment of the community by raising money to help support the programming and infrastructure needs of NorQuest College, where 63 per cent of the student population is female.

“I’ve been very fortunate in my life,” says Colbourne, who has donated $154,000 to the cause and has been a member of the 1000 Woman Advisory Committee since 2014. “I grew up with security, having all the supports around me in order to do what I wanted to do.”

Since she began practicing medicine in the early 1980s, it has been Dr. Colbourne’s job to diagnose and address the things that make people ill. Her perspective has allowed her to look outside the physical health symptoms and discover a deeper definition of a healthy population.

“I’ve seen some incredibly talented people go home at the end of the day and have another very demanding job to do there too,” says the doctor, whose only ‘children’ are three West Highland Terriers.

However, having spent considerable time caring for her parents at the end of their lives, she understands the challenges of balancing family and work commitments.

“It has always amazed me that, women in particular, are able to keep the family going, raise children and then also contribute in a very meaningful way to the workplace. It takes incredible fortitude and commitment. Sometimes a helping hand goes a long way.”

For her generosity and efforts, the Dr. Ann Playroom in the 1000 Women Child Care Centre located in the new Singhmar Centre for Learning has been named in her honour.

Kendal Schamber, second year Business Administration student and award recipient, presenting Brian Gervais, Senior Vice President, TD Bank Group, Prairie Region, with a gift of appreciation on behalf of NorQuest College.

TD Bank Group

TD Bank Group, longtime friend of NorQuest College, helped make 2014 a landmark year with a $100,000 gift to create the TD Education Access Bursary. The bursary will support 10 full- and part-time students from the Business Administration, Administrative Professional and Accounting Technician programs every year for the next five years.

"Business education is critical to finding professional employment and to further business knowledge and expertise in our communities," says Brian Gervais, Senior Vice President, TD Bank Group, Prairie Region. "We are pleased to provide this donation to NorQuest College to enhance student access to the College’s business education programs."

Five students have already accepted awards. The next TD Education Access Bursary presentation will take place in the winter of 2015.

Dr. Jodi L. Abbott, NorQuest President & CEO, added, "This is just another example of how NorQuest College and its valued community supporters are working together to improve lives."

The TD Education Access Bursary will impact many students not only during their time at NorQuest, but also in their future careers. Thank you to TD for their generous gift and all the support they have given to other NorQuest College initiatives. Your commitment to our students and our community is deeply appreciated.

Vivianna Macias-Katzenstein

Pilot project student Vivianna Macias-Katzenstein gives thumbs up to the Service Industry Skills program

Growing up in the tourist hotbed of Tijuana, Mexico, Vivianna Macias-Katzenstein had a busy childhood helping in her father’s restaurant.

Today, she is an Edmontonian with plans for a restaurant of her own one day. Edmonton patrons, however, are a little different than what she is used to.

“I’ve learned that people here need things to be a little more formal. In Mexico, we are a little more casual.”

It is to understand varying character traits like this that prompted the 27-year-old to take advantage of a two-day pilot program held in November for one of NorQuest College’s newest offerings.

The Service Industry Skills program operates out of the college’s new Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation Hospitality Institute. In January it began conducting regular courses, which are short in duration and have ongoing start dates until the end of March.

“Thanks to the pilot program, I learned what to expect about customer service in Canada,” says Macias-Katzenstein.

But it’s not just the restaurant business that the institute covers. The programming teaches leading-edge skills in a range of disciplines including guest services, safety, supervision, service industry operations, and event delivery.

“The tools that you receive help you feel more professional,” she says. “You learn the expectations of people, and you can do your job with more knowledge and confidence.”

Her increased self-assurance has already paid off. Not long after completing the sessions she was contacted by an employer, who had also taken part in the pilot, and was offered a job as a guest services agent at a leading Edmonton hotel.