Joan Miller grew up in a working class family in England before the war. Despite financial constraints, she managed to attend teachers' college and became a teacher in a public school in Dagenham, London in 1939. (Dagenham was shortly thereafter badly bombed in the blitz). Post war, she emigrated to Canada, worked in the United States, and returned to England, finally emigrating permanently to Canada in 1967 with her son David. She believed in education and ensured that David sat exams for scholarships - and when he was granted one, worked several evenings per week and on weekends to pay the remaining fees for a boarding school in Canada, a significant challenge for a single mother. At the same time, she took University courses in the summer, eventually graduating with a BA at the age of 56, in order to ensure she received decent pay for her work.
In 2006, while serving as Mayor of Toronto, David created the Mrs Joan H. Miller Scholarship Fund at the Toronto Foundation with the aim of giving single mothers like Joan - and others seeking a second chance - an opportunity to succeed like the one she had created for herself. The fund currently provides scholarships, and donations are often matched by educational institutions. Thanks to these matching contributions, approximately $400,000 in scholarships has been awarded since 2006.
The scholarships can be transformative - whether for University, graduate school or college. N, a single mother and student at Centennial College, wrote:
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your generous support. As a single mother returning to school, this support represents far more than financial assistance. It provides encouragement, stability, and the reassurance that someone believes in my potential and the importance of my educational journey. Your generosity is helping me pursue my academic and professional goals while creating a better future for my daughter. I am deeply thankful for your kindness and support, and I am committed to making the most of this opportunity.
There are numerous other stories of the transformative power these scholarships have had - David thanks you for your support.
To enable the Donor Advisor to properly recognize donors for their contributions, Toronto Foundation will share your contact information and donation amount with the Donor Advisor unless you have checked the anonymous box on the donation form.