Gen Next

Take Brennan O’Yeung, for example, one of the 2019 recipients. At just 19 years old, the University of Calgary student has an impressive philanthropic resume. After noticing how few Indigenous students there were in the engineering faculty, he decided to combine his passion for community involvement with his love of puzzles and logic games, and he created Escape with STEM. The non-profit organization provides volunteer programs and facilitation services to schools, youth organizations, and community events through STEM-based “escape room” challenges. Brennan has so far partnered with the Piitoayis School and Boys and Girls Club of Calgary (BGCC) to deliver Escape with STEM to hundreds of youth, the impact of which has been described as “tremendous” by the director of Indigenous initiatives at BGCC.

Joining Brennan last year to take home the award was Adam Le Dain, a young associate at Azimuth Capital Management. Adam is a perfect example of someone who uses the skills and opportunities from his professional life to give back to his community. Game to Give is Adam’s solution to high-priced, medium-efficiency fundraisers. The non-profit volunteer organization helps local charities run unique “tournament-style” fundraisers targeted at young philanthropists, where a high percentage of the entry fee makes its way to local charities. At the time of taking home the award, Game to Give had raised over $5,000 for local charity partners within the community. His commitment to doing local good and partnering with United Way also saw him successfully run a workplace campaign that boasted 100 per cent employee participation.