New award is the next step in a lifetime of support for students

For longtime donor, Donette Chin-Loy Chang, supporting student nurses was an opportunity for her to say thank you. “When my husband Ray became ill, we were at Princess Margaret Hospital. 8 out of 10 nurses were Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing (DCSN) graduates. They were all so lovely. One nurse told us ‘Mr. Chang’ handed her the diploma on stage at convocation but was shy to mention it, as she had not wanted to infringe on our privacy. It really touched me how much she and all the nurses cared for him — kindly and professionally,” says Chin-Loy Chang.

G. Raymond Chang, former Chancellor of Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), was a well-respected business leader and philanthropist and was one of only two people to hold both the Order of Canada and the Order of Jamaica. “It was a special bond he shared with Nelson Mandela, who also championed education, and whom together with his wife Dr. Graca Machel, were bestowed honorary degrees from Ryerson University,” said Chin-Loy Chang. “My husband loved the way Ryerson balanced practical and theoretical learning. Of all his accomplishments, it was his association with this university that filled him with the most joy and pride and of which I am most proud.” 

Chin-Loy Chang, a Ryerson alumna who was also bestowed honorary degrees from Ryerson University and the University of the West Indies, has been an active supporter of the Faculty of Community Services for several years. She served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for both Usha George and Lisa Barnoff during their time in leadership at FCS. Supporting education and access to education has been a lifelong passion, instilled in her by her parents. “Ray and I shared a vision of helping to give a hand up with education. My parents believed in education as the way up, and so this is something we’ve worked on our whole lives.”

The Lisa Barnoff Award will award $2,000 to a first-year DCSN student who is the first generation in their family to attend university. As a first-generation student herself, Dr. Barnoff is honoured by this award and Chin-Loy Chang’s generosity. She hopes it will encourage other first-generation students on their post-secondary journey while fostering the spirit and commitment to inclusion that she champions.

“Lisa Barnoff’s transformational, inclusive and kind leadership at the FCS is one to be admired and emulated and I am happy to give this award in recognition of my late husband. I think he and Lisa would have totally been of like minds,” said Chin-Loy Chang.

Written by: Bonte Minnema

This story originally appeared in the Faculty of Community Services News and Events section on April 14, 2022 

In spring 2021, an alumna and generous supporter of the Faculty of Community Services came forward to donate $250,000 towards an endowment for nursing student awards. She also anonymously pledged an additional $200,000 to match new gifts from other donors that each fund more financial assistance for students at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing for many years to come. This is one of four stories about generous donors who came forward to meet that challenge. Interested in making your own contribution in support of students at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing? Please visit the Faculty of Community Services online giving page today.