b'LEGACY CRAFTINGA LEGACY THAT SHAPES FUTURESHow one gift can impact generationsBy Chyana Marie SageI f we walk the path of ourmarked by a single dramaticRudy Wiens, with his late wife Anna, decided lives backward, we can namemoment, but by a lifetime of quiet, the moments that shapedintentional choices.usteachers, chance encounters,to become legacy donors to help advance open doors, closed doors, andIve been donating for about 10Indigenous educationthe structures that made thoseyears, Wiens says, recalling one of doors easier or harder to open.the early moments that inspired From birth, we are world-builders,him. I remember going to a specialThe inspiration came long ago, he crafting not only our own paths butevent about children from one ofreflects. I said, Why cant we do influencing the lives around us. Ourthe First Nations groups going tosomething for Canada? because decisions never exist in isolation;the U.S. National Spelling Bee. Thatpeople here need that kind of they interact with community,tells you how long Ive been here.attention too.circumstance, and structure. Ive been impressed by [Indspires] work for years. For Wiens, education is both a A legacy gift is the ultimateWhen Wiens thought about whatpersonal value and a pathway to honouring of that truth: it turnsto do with the mutual funds hecollective healing. When I hear our hard-won accomplishmentsand his late wife Anna had setabout suicide statistics, it tells into fuel for others. By investingaside, the answer was clear: I haveme theres a real need, he says. in Indigenous students, we dontthese mutual funds Ill probablyEducation provides people who just combat systemic barriers; wenever use. I raised my children tocan be resources.invest in Canadas shared future,be resourceful and self-sufficient, expanding possibility, leadership,and now they have everythingThis belief mirrors what Indspire and collective well-being. they need. So the money thatssees every day: Indigenous students been sitting there for emergencieswho, with the right support, dont Its a way of turning the life weveis available. I asked myself, Whatjust change their own livesthey built through hard work, values,would I like to do to make the worldcreate lasting ripple effects in their and opportunity into somethinga better place? communities. Eighty-nine per bigger than ourselves. For Indspirecent of Indspire-funded students legacy donors, this means trans- TOOL FOR CHANGE return to contribute through forming personal accomplishmentA legacy gift isnt just a financialeducation, governance, and into collective possibility. It meanstransaction; its a commitment tocommunity leadership.helping Indigenous students anddismantling barriers and investing educators thrive, strengtheningin new possibilities. It reflectsTHE POWER OF communities, and shaping ourthe idea that the resources weEDUCATION collective future through the poweraccumulate in our lifetimes canLeaving a legacy for Indigenous of education. continue to shape the world longeducation isnt simply an act of after were gone. giving; its an act of reconcilia-A RIPPLE BEGINS tion. Allyship is a cornerstone of A longtime donor and now legacyFor Wiens, that belief was forgedreconciliation, and Wiens and donor, Rudy Wiens has been athrough a lifetime of teaching. Hehis wife, both immigrants to this supporter of Indspire for overand Anna devoted their careers tocountry, have chosen to invest in a decade. His journey towardeducation, working in places likethat shared future by bridging the becoming a legacy donor wasntMalawi, Botswana, and Eritrea.gap for Indigenous students in 34indspiration2025'