Ted Nolan and his son, Brandon Nolan, will be in Fort Frances, Ontario at Seven Generations Education Institute to make an important donation to the IIC. The former NHL player, coach and founder of the Ted Nolan Foundation made the donation on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2019 at Seven Generations’ brand-new education facility. The IIC is proud to accept the Rose Nolan Scholarship Fund in the amount of $125,000. This Fund is donated in support of First Nations women pursuing a post-secondary education at an Indigenous Institute in Ontario.
“I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the love and support of my mother,” said Ted Nolan, who believes that real strength in our world comes from women. “Collectively, we need to support our First Nations women to ensure they get the opportunities they rightly deserve. Inspiration is the seed that blooms into a Rose.”
Chair of the IIC, Murray Waboose, acknowledges the contribution from the Ted Nolan Foundation stating that, “The Indigenous Institutes Consortium is proud to partner with the Nolan’s to continue to enrich the academic careers of our First Nations women learners as they strive to achieve their post-secondary education attainment.”
Background
Since 2002, the goal of the Ted Nolan Foundation has been to encourage Indigenous youth to pursue academic growth for a better future. Ted Nolan believes that today’s youth will be tomorrow’s leaders.
The Rose Nolan Scholarship Fund is sponsored by the Ted Nolan Foundation and was established in 2004. Named after Ted Nolan’s mother, who had an untimely death due to an impaired driver in 1981. The Fund was established to assist First Nations women achieve their educational and training goals, while maintaining strong community involvement.
The Ted Nolan Foundation announced a $100,000 contribution to Sault College in 2017, and last Fall the Foundation made two more donations to First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) and Cape Breton University (CBU) with a donation of $75,000 to each of their respective bursary programs. More donations to additional post-secondary institutions are to be expected.
Established in 1994, the Indigenous Institutes Consortium is a non-profit corporation mandated to represent the collective interest of the Indigenous Institutes with a mission to support the development and recognition of Indigenous Institutes. Indigenous Institutes constitute one of the Pillars of Ontario’s post-secondary education and training system that are recognized under the Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017. Indigenous Institutes are community based post-secondary education and training Institutes that are Indigenous owned and operated and centred on local, accessible, and culturally appropriate programming. Indigenous Institutes provide culturally responsive and safe-learning environments grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and living that honour Indigenous traditions.