Les and Irene Dube have contributed six million dollars to the Saskatoon Community Foundation to support six different charitable organizations. CEO Carm Michalenko says in 51 years this is one of the largest contributions
Michalenko explains endowments were put in place for the Saskatoon Lighthouse, the Canadian Mental Health Association of Saskatoon, elder care at the Sherbrooke Community Centre, the Canadian Red Cross in Saskatchewan, Hope for Malawi and Food for the Hungry Canada. “All of the areas that they are concerned about have really been exasperated during the pandemic. Those include mental health, adequate housing, taking care of our elderly and helping in humanitarian efforts. Even worldwide, they’re very much a local grounded family, but they care for others that are in desperate need.”
The initial contribution was made in late 2019, Michalenko says the Saskatoon Community Foundation invests the funds and uses earnings to permanently grant out support to the charitable organizations. Earnings from the endowment investments accumulated over the past year, have now been able to be distributed to the organizations.
Michalenko adds the Dube’s are known very well in the community for being extremely generous individuals and they feel they want to leave the world a better place than when they found it.