Torch - Spring/Summer 2020

Donor Profile

Supporting Girls’ Education Havergal Thanks the Dovigi Family for Their Transformational Gift

By Anna-Kaisa Walker

“

As founder and CEO of Green For Life Environmental Inc. (GFL), one of North America’s largest waste-management companies, Patrick has worked to actively promote gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated industry, sponsoring scholarships and conferences for female employees. “We aim to have 30 per cent female executives by 2022, up from the original figure of about five per cent,” he says. “Right now, we’re at about 20 per cent, so we’re moving toward our goal.” For Patrick and Fernanda, seeing Savannah, the second of their four children, flourish in the Junior School has been a powerful example of the Havergal experience. “She started out very shy, but she has really warmed up,” says Fernanda, an interior designer. “She gets excited to come to school every day. It makes us really happy to see that she’s thriving here.” An avid reader and skater, Savannah is also multilingual—she speaks Portuguese with Fernanda, who is originally from Brazil, and understands Spanish, Italian and French. In the nurturing environment of the Junior School, where small classes of about 18 to 20 students allow for more individual attention from teachers, she has cultivated her wide range of interests in art, sports and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math). As Savannah’s self-assurance grows, she has even volunteered to speak at Prayers, telling a short story of bravery after overcoming a fall on the playground. “I never would have thought she would do that,” says Fernanda. “She has become this confident girl, because of the little community she has built. She can’t wait for her younger sister to start Junior Kindergarten here.” The first $2 million of the Dovigis’ gift will go toward the completion of the new wing in the Junior School, which will be named for the family. New and enhanced facilities for art, music, athletic and STEM programming will enhance student learning and nurture each girl’s potential. A stunning new dining wing, overlooking the Burke Brook ravine, will serve as a community gathering space, as well as a source of daily meals to nourish the bodies, minds and souls of our Junior School students. The Dovigis are also sponsoring an annual friendship award, to be given to a Junior School student who demonstrates the school’s values in her compassion and kindness to others. “We believe it really shows leadership to empower other women,” says Fernanda. “It’s not always about having the best grades or being the best athlete; it’s really about being warm-hearted and including others.”

With the initiatives that I have implemented to help women succeed at my own company, it made sense to continue driving that agenda forward and set the example for others. —Patrick Dovigi

“

W ith their gift of $3 million to the Limitless Campaign , Patrick and Fernanda Dovigi have made Havergal history. As the largest single donation the school has ever received, the family has set a new precedent that they hope will inspire future generosity, both at Havergal and at girls’ schools everywhere. The Dovigis, whose daughter Savannah is in Grade 1, are motivated as much by the desire to motivate other donors as to further young women’s education. They have allocated $1 million of their donation to a matching challenge: for every other family’s gift of $100,000 or more, the Dovigis will contribute an equal amount. “We saw this as a real opportunity to provide leadership and to inspire others to do the same,” says Patrick. Levelling the playing field among independent schools was a key factor in the Dovigis’ decision to give such a large gift. After Savannah started Junior Kindergarten at Havergal, they learned that donor dollars to boys’ schools outpace those to girls schools by as much as $4 to $1, largely because of the historical greater earning power of men. “With the initiatives that I have implemented to help women succeed at my own company, it made sense to continue driving that agenda forward and set the example for others,” says Patrick.

28  HAVERGAL COLLEGE