Leacross Foundation's Summer of Impact

The Leacross Foundation has had an incredibly busy and impactful summer, continuing to champion women and children across Canada. Over the last four months, our work has focused on providing support for a wide range of initiatives, from educational programs to community-building events. Here is a look at what we’ve been up to.

We are committed to providing young people with the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. Our recent efforts include:

• Chelsea Library/Bibliothèque de Chelsea: Supporting a reading program for elementary school children in grades 1 and 2.

• MASC Authors and Illustrators Festival: Leacross Foundation is a proud supporter of this annual two-day festival in Ottawa. The event brings award-winning Canadian authors and illustrators to students in grades four to eight for hands-on masterclasses, workshops, and artist presentations. Organized by MASC (Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities), the festival’s goal is to inspire and awaken the creative process by exposing students to professional artists and encouraging their engagement with words and images.

• National Arts Centre Orchestra: Contributing to the NAC Mentorship Program.
• Ottawa Riverkeeper: Our support for the educational programming at the River House has had a significant impact. We were delighted to receive a note of thanks from Laura, who wrote, “Your support is truly making waves. River School is only one part of that, your gift also supports outreach,” noting that the program has directly participated more than 5,000 students this year.

• Boys and Girls Club Ottawa (BGCO): We were proud to support multiple initiatives with BGCO.
  • Where We’ve Been: Our support was showcased in a powerful video titled “Where We’ve Been,” highlighting the impact of BGCO. Watch it here:

Empowering women in science, technology, engineering, and trades is a core part of our mission. This summer, we were involved with:

• Bois Urban

• Women in Tech & Trades (WiTT) at Algonquin College: We are proud to support the launch of this new program designed to provide women in technology and trades with opportunities for professional growth and mentorship.
• WeAreAllCS Dalhousie
• TMU – FEAS (Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science): We celebrated the achievements of three graduates at their Convocation Ceremony: Ilhaan Ahmed, Megan Xu (both B.Eng., Biomedical Engineering), and Nika Momeni (M.B.Eng., Biomedical Engineering).
• TMU Intern Social

• Royal Ontario Museum Intern Visit:

Roslyn had the pleasure to meet the Summer 2025 Interns and observe presentations of the work they have been doing:

 

Lucy Wolchock-Brow is a BA student in Art History and Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She currently works in ROM’s Plant Collection, where she supports digitization and imaging of herbarium specimens. She brings experience from Beaty Biodiversity Museum and Sunshine Coast Museum, offering a solid foundation in specimen handling, data management, and image processing using Capture One and Adobe Bridge.

 

Lara Olivier is studying Ecology and Animal Physiology at U of T. She supports ROM’s fossil collections, building custom cradles and preparing delicate fossils for storage. Lara is a certified scuba instructor with field collection experience and administrative skills, offering technical agility and a deep respect for conservation.

 

Giselle Parsod is a Geoscience and Environmental Systems major at U of T. Her placement supports the Earth & Space collections, where she digitizes palaeontological records and supports science outreach. A skilled communicator, she’s active in student organizations, social media content creation, and STEM equity initiatives.

 

Madeleine Vien is a Master of Information candidate at U of T specializing in Archives. She supports ROM’s collections care efforts with a background in metadata, exhibition curation, and archival preservation. Her professional interests lie at the intersection of cultural history, access, and community engagement.

 

Pearl Van Noote is completing her Honours BA in Classical Studies at the University of Waterloo. She is working in the Greek and Roman Antiquities area, bringing experience from Lambton Heritage Museum and Brant Historical Society in artifact digitization, research, and cataloguing. She is fluent in French and deeply committed to cultural heritage.

 

The commitment to and passion for their respective fields of studies was incredible to observe and further enhances the value and need for investing in more female scientists to address workforce shortages, foster innovation, and promote economic growth, as greater diversity strengthens research and performance.

• CHEO Biomedical Engineering Training Program
• Ottawa Heart Institute Biomedical Engineering 2025 Interns
• National Arts Centre Global Network for Women Music Producers: Supporting the Producers in Calgary and Banff Week.

We believe in fostering strong, connected communities. Our social initiatives this summer included:

• Carleton University Women in Philanthropy Initiative
• Carleton University MPNL Summer Institute Panel

• Habitat for Humanity: Contributing to the beautification and landscaping of the sign in the community garden at Leacross Landing.

• iSisters + Lanark County Interval House (LCIH): iSisters Program Manager Estel led a class in AI Literacy and Roslyn Bern dropped in to see the latest programming.
• Pepper Pod

• NAC Governor General’s Awards for the Performing Arts: Held on June 14, 2025, an occasion highlighted in the Ottawa Citizen Social Scene.
• BGCO – Western Winds Glamping Gala: Held on August 28, 2025.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to partner with these incredible organizations and look forward to continuing our work in the coming months!