Oct. 22, 2018

Creating a culture of philanthropy

At the Cumming School of Medicine

An inspiring number of faculty and staff decide each year to contribute to the University of Calgary’s success in ways beyond their everyday roles on campus — including philanthropy.

Giving Day 2018, which pushed the Energize campaign beyond the billion-dollar mark, was bolstered by a strong percentage of current faculty and staff donors. Almost 400 members committed more than $125,000 to the nearly $1 million total given in April’s 24-hour window. More than 13 percent of the 1,236 Giving Day donors were current staff and faculty.

Fueled by this culture of philanthropy, people are also leaving gifts to the university in a will (called planned or legacy giving), setting up student awards, or giving to a specific area of focus.

Keen on giving others the same opportunity to pursue their passion for medicine, a number of Cumming School of Medicine faculty members have recently made planned gifts.

Dr. Todd Anderson, MD’85, and his wife Karen have committed to ongoing excellence in cardiovascular health; Dr. Richard Leigh, MD, PhD, and his wife Dr. Margaret Kelly, MD, PhD, want to ensure future health leaders have the opportunity to benefit from fellowship support, and Dr. Alexander Leung, MD, directed a gift that will support research and education in pediatrics.