While grieving the loss of her son, Owyn McInnis, a TRU men’s volleyball player, Erin Walter decided she wanted his name to live on through a scholarship.
“When something tragic like this happens, we lose faith in humanity and there’s all the things that we can find wrong,” Walter says. “Let’s look for the good. Let’s look for the kindness. Let’s look for the ripple effect.”
Walter’s words, found in the pages of TRU’s Report on Philanthropy 2023-24, are a testament to the power of generosity. The money that is donated to funds like McInnis’s memorial award — kickstarted with an anonymous gift of $20,000 — is about more than dollars and cents. It represents love, recognition, enduring legacies and, in Walter’s words, creates a ripple effect much larger than one person.
For TRU student Candis Garant, creating an award is about honouring her late sister, Rhyannon, whose pride in her Dene heritage and dogged determination remain a source of inspiration for her family.
“She helped a lot of people over the years, and I want her legacy to stay alive,” Garant says.
Their stories and more are featured in the Report on Philanthropy 2023-2024, published annually in print and online to showcase the impact of charitable giving to TRU.
When donors establish endowments to create long term, sustainable funding sources in support of students, their funds are stewarded by the TRU Foundation. Today, the TRU Foundation manages nearly $36 million, most of which is dedicated to student awards, bursaries and scholarships.
Last year’s 2022-23 Report on Philanthropy received a 2024 Gold Prix d’Excellence Award from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education as well as a 2024 Gold Circle of Excellence Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, an international organization with members in 28 countries.
In addition to showcasing how philanthropy fuels student success, the report also recognizes student achievements, highlights special events and provides the TRU Foundation’s financial summary.
The Report on Philanthropy is published by the Office of Advancement at TRU, located in the Clock Tower Building at TRU’s Kamloops campus. General inquiries are welcomed by phone at 250-828-5264, email at giving@tru.ca and online at tru.ca/giving.
