Major donations remind us of all the small ones, too

MONDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — Great institutions do great work, and so do charitable groups. They couldn’t do it without the generosity of those who have money to give.

Thompson Rivers University was on the receiving end of several notable contributions this week. Spectacular, in fact.

First, there was the RBC Foundation, which committed $700,000 to support women enrolled in trades programs at TRU. It is the largest donation RBC has made in B.C. outside of the Lower Mainland and will be used to fund the RBC Women in Trades Training Program.

Then, there’s one from retired lawyer Don Andrews, a former TRU board member, who donated $100,000.

The biggest of them all came from businessman Ken Lepin, who announced on the weekend he’s giving $2.25 million to the university in addition to an earlier donation of $250,000.

TRU has benefitted from many major donations of tens of thousands of dollars. The donors may get their name on a bursary or on a program or a plaque outside a classroom or even on a building but the main thing they receive is the satisfaction of doing good.

Lepin’s gift will go towards financial assistance to students and to research. As is typical of those who give generously, Lepin says he wants to give something back.

Such is usually the case with major donations to other local causes, as well. People genuinely appreciate their community and want to do something for it.

Sometimes, they can give only a few dollars. Other times, they give of their time and their knowledge. It’s all valuable. A dollar can be as heartfelt as a hundred, or a hundred thousand.

It’s just that the bigger the amount, the more newsworthy. The big ones remind us of the generosity of all.