Tonya Wray commits to helping others

Tonya Wray’s desire to make a difference started young. As a child in elementary school, she would hold out a little orange UNICEF box as she knocked on neighbours’ doors during Halloween. She would then bring the UNICEF box back to school the next day, with all the money collected going to children in need around the world. 

“I loved the clinking of the UNICEF box. It was so satisfying, like a piggy bank. And seeing the faces of the children on those boxes made me realize I wasn’t just fundraising: I was truly giving back,” she said.

Currently an associate director of development at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), Tonya has made it a lifelong commitment to help others. Tonya herself is a TMU alumna and the first in her family to attend post-secondary school. Her father was one of nine children, and with so many siblings, pursuing a post-secondary education wasn’t an option for him. Tonya’s mother was from Italy, and also didn’t attend university. 

As her parents were unable to help with tuition, Tonya relied on the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), awards and bursaries. She remembers almost missing her tuition deposit to secure her spot. 

Once enrolled, she navigated a 90-minute commute to campus. “The GO train was a luxury. I had to take a bus, the LRT and two subways,” she recalled.

Armed with a social work degree from the Faculty of Community Services, followed by a certificate in fundraising management from The Chang School of Continuing Education, and mindful of the challenges she herself faced, Tonya has firsthand insight on how alumni can alleviate student stress. 

“It’s not just learning at the university,” she said. “It’s the cost of the commute and food in an expensive city. Anything to help really makes a difference.”

That’s why Tonya makes monthly contributions, noting it is “seamless once it’s set up.” She says that many employers, like TMU, offer staff and faculty the option to make donations through  (google form) recurring payroll deductions (external link, opens in new window) .

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