3 minute read
1986-1989 Student & Corporate Donor
Jeremy McDonald
Jeremy's ties to Foothills run deep, spanning generations and various areas of support.
As a former student during his Junior High years, Jeremy experienced Foothills Academy when it was housed in its original Capitol Hill location a rented space within St. Pius Elementary School. Beyond his personal experience, Jeremy's connection extends to his own child, who attended Foothills Academy.
Professionally, Jeremy serves as the Director of Makwa7, an organization that actively supports Foothills Academy. Makwa7 contributes to the school through a directed bursary program and participates in the Gordon Hoffman Charity Golf Classic, furthering its commitment to Foothills' mission Adding to this collaborative effort, Jeremy's wife, Paige McDonald, is the Manager of Read/Write & Math Intervention programs on the Community Services side of Foothills Academy.
One of the key things that Jeremy found at Foothills that continues through his work today is being courageous. It takes courage to change schools as a child, it takes courage to keep taking on new challenges, and it takes courage to step outside of your box and do something differently.
Jeremy’s time at Foothills Academy in his Junior High years helped him gain a new perspective on himself and his skills that carried beyond his time in the classroom. When Jeremy started at Foothills Academy, he hated math and thought he was not smart.
However, his time at Foothills shifted things. He found he just learned differently and was actually quite good at math He went on to Geomatics at SAIT, a heavily math based program.
Jeremy’s role at Makwa7 - Director of Customer Success - is to support their clients in projects from the first inception of the idea through completion. Something that Makwa7 and Jeremy believe also takes a lot of courage; to find and analyze the data, to implement new systems, and to change how things are being done. It is a role that Jeremy thrives in, with daily problem-solving and bringing projects from concept to completion. Makwa7 has played a crucial role in enhancing Foothills' Community Services programs by configuring its database system.
“It takes courage. Courage to try new things, and not be afraid to step out of your own box.
Through this work, Jeremy and Makwa7 saw the level of financial need required and provided at Foothills Academy, which supported the creation of the Makwa7 Bursary program for our Read/Write & Math Intervention programs. This is not the only philanthropy that Jeremy is involved in, his love of curling and work with indigenous youth led to leading events in Kenora, On - a bonspiel for Indigenous youth, as well as support for an under 15 hockey team.
