Most donors have a long history with the school, which makes Daniel Im an anomaly. He and his wife, Jennifer, chose to invest in the next generation of Georgians at the beginning of his experience of the College, just as his son was entering Grade 3. He admits that, until about a year and a half ago, he hadn’t even heard of the school at all. His son was attending a junior school, and the principal there suggested RSGC as an option.

At that time, Daniel’s older son was already going to UCC. “People just assume, ‘one son goes to one school, the second son will just follow suit. But that’s not the case.’” He knew that what was right for one wasn’t necessarily right for the other. The family toured, met Ms. Nozuka , Ms. Magor, Ms. Turner and Ms. Nosworthy. They thought, “You know what, this is a great place for Michael. He needs a more nurturing, smaller school. There are only ten kids in Grade 3. And the ‘known and loved,’ one of the mottos, that’s so great for him.”

Not long after enrolling, Daniel and Jennifer spoke with Headmaster Stephen Beatty about options to give. “We’re very fortunate ourselves to have some financial means, and to want to give back, that’s something we do as a family.” The Georgian Opportunity Fund (GOF) was one of those options. “He mentioned when it first started, years ago, there was one young boy who, I think he was considering other independent schools in the city, and some of them were going to be able to give him a full scholarship.” At the time, the College wasn’t yet offering full scholarships. “He thought it would be the right fit for this young gentleman, but there was no real way of doing that. … but through a handful of phone calls they were able to raise the money, which was tremendous. It’s a great story. For me, after speaking with him, I said, ‘Yeah, you know what, that’s what I would love to donate to.’”

Daniel doesn’t say it in so many words, but in the story of the first beneficiary of the fund, he saw a bit of himself. “I come from a difficult background, and I came from a single mom situation, I grew up in Scarborough. I would just walk to the local public school down the street and try my best. You know, there was no possible way of even thinking about going to a private school. So to be able to offer such an amazing opportunity for young people who would thrive at Royal St. George’s, that to me resonates a lot with me personally and our family.”

Daniel also thought about his sons. “Our boys are both adopted from Korea, and we are lucky to have such a wonderful family.” He says that “we know that there are all sorts of other young people around, in Korea and in Canada, who, if only they had the opportunity to be nurtured and developed, could become the best versions of themselves. But for various reasons, including financial means, they’re not able to.” In that spirit, he notes that their boys took the lead to forego birthday presents, instead agreeing to donate annually on their birthdays to Korea Welfare Services, an NGO that serves people in need through counseling, sponsorship, adoption-related services, and youth programs. Supporting them feels right, and for very personal reasons. Similarly, “the Georgian Opportunity Fund resonated strongly with our family. We love the school, and my wife and I said, ‘Hey, you know what, this is something that we feel strongly about, why don’t we do this?’” And they did.

When I ask what he hopes his son takes away from his experience at RSGC, his response is wonderfully Georgian. “Just meeting great people, teachers, staff, students, growing and developing and having amazing experiences. School, of course, is academic, but that to me is only one slice of the entire pie. It’s about camaraderie and experience.” That’s what Michael has found at RSGC. “It’s just a place that he fits in well, that will bring out the best of him. We think it’s a great place for him to thrive.” He’d like other boys to have access to all those things. The learning, the camaraderie, the full RSGC experience.

In some senses, the Georgian Opportunity Fund is still in its early days. While financial support has been offered for decades, Fola Fatola ‘20, the first recipient of the GOF, is still completing his graduate program at Waterloo University. He was back on campus recently to speak about his experience and to share it with others. In addition to Fola, the fund has helped 26 students find a home at the College. Here they found—and continue to find—a place to thrive. In turn, they added their voices, talents, and friendship to the web of relationships that give life to Royal St George’s College.

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The Georgian Opportunity Fund provides up to 100% tuition support to deserving boys from Grades 7-12. Scholarships help many young boys who would be an excellent fit for the RSGC family and who embody our “Manners Maketh Men” values become the exceptional leaders of our future. Scholarships truly make a difference.

For more on the Georgian Opportunity Fund, including ways to give, contact Maria Jordan at mjordan@rsgc.on.ca or visit www.rsgc.on.ca/giving/ways-to-give