2009 News

RBC donation enhances Western’s commitment to the Community

By Communications staff
September 22, 2009

The University of Western Ontario today announced the donation of $2 million by RBC Foundation to provide students with the opportunity to experience enhanced learning while responding to community needs through service.

RBC’s commitment will support the new Community Service Learning Program, facilitated
through Western, the Richard Ivey School of Business and Huron University College. The program extends the educational experience of students beyond the classroom with real-life experience in the community. RBC’s commitment will support and expand the program over the next 10 years, and will allow approximately 5,000 students each year to take part in this new educational opportunity.

“We have already had great success with community service learning at Western, and are now ready to expand and develop this approach in new ways,” says Western’s President Amit Chakma. “This wonderful gift from RBC to Western makes a difference by inspiring community engagement and a global outlook among our students, and by providing direct benefit to the organizations they serve. As our world changes, Western students will be there, helping to lead that change.”

“At RBC, we believe we have a responsibility to cultivate future leaders with a strong sense of social responsibility” says Dave McKay, Group Head, Canadian Banking, RBC. “This year we are celebrating 100 years of supporting the London community and we are confident that our donation to The University of Western Ontario will ensure that thousands of students continue to support local non-profit and charitable organizations.”

"Students have a phenomenal desire to contribute to their communities. Service learning promotes academic excellence, and gives them real-world experiences that promote personal and professional growth," says Ivey Dean Carol Stephenson. "This gift from RBC furthers Ivey's mission which emphasizes the importance of giving back to our communities through developing business leaders who think globally, act strategically and contribute to the societies within which they operate."

Huron University College Principal Ramona Lumpkin says, “Whether they work with the Canadian Red Cross, the Thames River Ecological Association, or the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children, Huron students are transformed by their service learning engagement. RBC's gift ensures that our students will have a wealth of opportunity to give back to their communities and to deepen their academic experience.”

On October 3, The University of Western Ontario will launch the public phase of a campaign that will raise $500 million by 2014. The RBC Foundation gift will be an important part of that total. Information about Western’s Campaign can be found at http://www.westernmakesadifference.ca/



About RBC
RBC believes in building prosperity by contributing to the communities in which we live and work. We are now one of Canada’s largest corporate donors, and we support a broad range of community initiatives, through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2008, RBC contributed more than $99 million to community causes worldwide. As a founding member of Imagine Canada, RBC is committed to donating at least one per cent of our average annual net income before taxes. For more information, please visit http://www.rbc.com/donations/