People

Trustees

Praveen Varshney

Mr. Varshney has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based venture capital, merchant bank and corporate advisory services firm, since 1991 and a Founding Director of Pyfera Growth Capital social impact fund. Mr. Varshney obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia in 1987 and is a FCPA, FCA. more

Ros Guggi

Ros is an award-winning journalist who worked in seven newsrooms across Canada, most recently as Deputy Editor of The Province. Projects she ran on subjects as diverse as the Downtown Eastside, aging, racism and the needs of young children were nominated four times for Canada’s National Newspaper Awards, winning twice. The project about how parents and governments can give kids a better start in life also won a Jack Webster Award.Her journalism career included stints at the Ottawa Citizen, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record and the Vancouver Sun and she was the visiting Irving Chair in Journalism at St. Thomas University in Fredericton for two months in 2016. more

Shane DeGroote

Shane is an Impact Analyst at Forthlane Partners. Shane is acutely aware of social and environmental issues fueled by his 15 years of experience working in Western Canada as an outdoor adventure guide, educator, and organic farmer. In 2014, Shane co-started Beyond Boarding, a not-for-profit advocacy organization that raises awareness for PNW First Nations land rights and title issues through documentary filmmaking. He also funded the first homeless outreach program in Squamish, British Columbia. Shane is a certified trainer in nervous system-based stress management and resiliency mentorship. more

Stephanie Korour

Stephanie Korour works at Yeager Law Corporation. Her work experience has been enhanced by living and volunteering throughout Canada and around the world, including several years in England and France. Stephanie serves on the board of Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Center, and is an appointed panel member for the Employment and Assistance Appeals Tribunal. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including several awards from the Red Cross for her fundraising and volunteer initiatives. Stephanie holds an LL.B. from Margaret Thatcher's University of Buckingham and a B.A. from the University of British Columbia. more

Tenzin Khangsar

Tenzin is a Tibetan-Canadian with a unique tri-sector profile of leadership in business, government and non-profit sectors. He currently has an Executive Growth Advisory practice that supports purpose driven leaders to scale both mindset and company performance. He served as senior advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada and to Ministers overseeing Immigration, Multiculturalism, Industry and Treasury. He has spent more than a decade in Asia building partnerships in the energy, resource and technology sectors. Tenzin also led a national human rights organization advocating on behalf to the Tibetan people. He has organized several visits to Canada for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. more

Victor Chan

Victor Chan has known the Dalai Lama for over 40 years, and in 2005, they co-founded the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. The Dalai Lama and Victor Chan also co-authored the Wisdom of Compassion: Stories of Remarkable Encounters and Timeless Insights (Riverhead, January 2013). more

Team

Andy Price

Andy has two decades of success in the not-for-profit sector, through a focus on empowering leadership, fund development and collaboration. Andy has experience in diverse fields including Health, Education, International Development and Sport. He was formerly the Executive Director of the Fortius Foundation, the charity owner of Fortius Sport & Health.Through Andy's leadership and time spent working with the Vancouver Whitecaps, BC Adaptive Snowsports, and Sport BC, he's seen firsthand the importance and impact of helping children develop social and emotional skills. At Fortius, Andy led a team to create programs that have had a meaningful impact on thousands of youth in British Columbia, including their flagship program, KidsMove, which supported the development more

Kareen Hudson

Kareen draws from an extensive career within the BC not-for-profit, education and health sectors. Her role as founder and manager of the RSVP Program, an award winning and widely utilized Social Emotional Learning program in Vancouver schools, gave her first hand exposure to the tremendous value of educating children’s hearts. Kareen is a founding board member at Stand Tall Education Center, a primary school in Kampala, Uganda, and also maintains a private counselling and consulting practice in Vancouver called Seedlings. more

Gemma Holland

Gemma has had a longstanding interest in children’s issues and worked for many years as a psychology researcher in the area of online child exploitation. She has taught psychology and child development at universities in Ireland and has an MA in Public Policy. She is committed to volunteering with local advocacy and community organizations, which aim to make the world a better place for our children. more

EDUCATING THE HEART