A gift from their hearts

Medical students in financial need will benefit from the Upright Family Bursary in Medicine.

For many of us, our mothers were our greatest teachers. That’s how Randy and Janice feel.

Their mom taught them that, “In your life, there’s nothing better than finding an opportunity to help someone else.”

Randy Upright and Janice Olivier’s mom lived her life teaching this to them and inspiring it in those around her. “We learned, when you get, you must give. When you learn, you must teach. This was the life philosophy we were raised with,” recalls Randy.

Randy and Janice were born and raised in Edmonton. So were their parents. 

As they emphasize, “our hearts are full of gratitude for the medical care we and our parents received over the years.” That’s why they chose to honour their late mother and family by creating the Upright Family Bursary in Medicine. A gift made through their Wills, for students at the University of Alberta.

“We don’t have children to leave our estates to. So we started wondering where the future of the wealth we’ve created in our lifetime should go. And we wanted to be very thoughtful about what we did with that. It’s not just our money. We’ve had so much given to us by our parents and community, and we are healthy because of our healthcare. So, when we put our heads together, we knew we wanted to find a place that would benefit our community the most.”

Working with the Development team at the U of A, Randy and Janice created a bursary for medical students in financial need. These will be future doctors who will care for people throughout northern Alberta. They will save lives.

This generous gift will make a significant difference for students, who otherwise may not be able to pursue their dreams to practice medicine, and help our community.

“We wanted our gifts to have the greatest potential impact. So, we worked with the University’s fund development staff. They were very thoughtful and helped us find specific language to maximize outcomes, while respecting our wishes,” Randy says.

For Randy, leaving a gift in his Will reminds him of the life lessons that their mom focused on. “Helping others. Caring for your community. Paying your gratitude forward.”

“When you plan your estate and your final giving, this is your one last opportunity to do that. Our choice became so obvious because we’ve had such great care in Alberta’s medical system. It has kept us alive and healthy. When others contemplate what they would like their final legacy to be, I encourage you to think about what’s meaningful to you.”

We would love to hear from you and learn more about what’s important to you. You can find out more about making a difference at U of A by clicking here. 

And feel free to reach out to one of the University of Alberta’s planned giving experts. You can contact Kathy Fitzgerald at 780-492-2616 or kathy.fitzgerald@ualberta.ca, Julian Solberg at 780-492-4811 or julian.solberg@ualberta.ca or Hilary Fabrizio at 780-996-7808 or hilary.fabrizio@ualberta.ca. They will answer questions you may have about supporting the U of A through a gift in your Will.