The Circle Education is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without our loyal donors. For our last interview in the ’30 years in the making’ series, we talked with Wendy Kaye and Rory Holland about their motivations to support us.
Wendy Kaye retired on Salt Spring Island 23 years ago, but has lived in Courtenay for the past three years to be closer to her daughter’s family. Now that her grandchildren are a bit older and have their own lives, she will move back to the island next month. Wendy was a donor before our organization changed its name from SWOVA to The Circle Education, but became more involved in 2020. She supports The Circle with a yearly donation and has also made a small bequest as part of her estate planning.
Rory Holland, who is now retired, was an entrepreneur throughout his working life. He moved from Bowen Island to Salt Spring, has three adult sons, and has been working with youth as a volunteer since he was twenty, striving to be a trusted person to youth, someone whom they can talk to besides their parents. Rory has been a supporter of The Circle Education since 2024.
What inspired you to donate to The Circle Education?
Wendy: “I know there are many non-profit societies on Salt Spring Island, but The Circle Education stood out for me. I have a strong interest in children and youth, and their development, and I love to support young people. I believe that the ability of our young to communicate with each other, collaborate, make healthy choices, play fair and respect others can lead to a better world. For them, and for us!
Rory: “When I moved to Salt Spring Island, I heard people talking about the Pass it On program. I was curious and wanted to hear more about it, so I called executive director Janine Fernandes-Hayden. When she told me about the programs The Circle offers to the island, I wanted to support that. The idea that there is a proactive program that encourages kids to be themselves and that builds compassion and empathy and positively impacts the way young people choose to engage with themselves and with the world. What is a better thing to invest in?”
What matters most to you about our work?
Wendy: “To me, the most important aspect of the work starts with The Circle Education’s ability to attract and train excellent facilitators. That’s where it all begins, really. Their leadership and mentorship are the cornerstones of the program. I love the range of subject matter they provide in such an integrative way.”
Rory: “I support two organizations on the island: IWAV and The Circle Education, and at first I didn’t know they were connected in the past. It was coincidental. When you talk about gender-based violence, we often think of what women can do to protect themselves, but it is important that we focus on boys as well. Telling them that they can’t be angry or violent won’t solve anything. Working with them on their own sense of self in connection to others, and talking about other ways to express themselves, ways that do not include harming others, or harming women, does work. I love the idea of the tomato fight the participants of Pass it On boys had at Bullock Lake farm, and them talking about anger afterwards. That just gives me the chills; it is so perfect.”
Why is the work The Circle Education does urgent and important right now?
Wendy: “We all know that online negative influences directed toward young people are growing exponentially. The news they absorb in the media makes the world seem a scary place. There are lots of questions for pre-teens and teens to grapple with. What better place for kids to have than a setting with their peers where they feel safe and where they can talk and practice new skills with trained facilitators?”
Rory: “Social-emotional education really should be at the forefront right now. Kids these days are facing much greater challenges than when I was young. Just the impact of mobile phones, social media and the influencers they find online. That is kind of scary. It is healthy to have positive real-life role models. I am so impressed with the facilitators of the boys’ program whom I met in the past years. They are hard-working good men who are young enough to connect and engage with the younger generation.”
Do you have a memory or a story about our organization that really stands out to you?
Rory: “I got invited to the Pass it On Boys intergenerational session, where older community members and parents came to talk with the participants and share perspectives. As a parent, you don’t often get the chance to hear the kids talk the way they did during that session. I was just listening as a random adult and I was learning things about myself as well. It was just a remarkable afternoon. When I got home, I just couldn’t stop talking about it. Not every kid slides through high school, and as a parent it is so comforting to know that your child has a place where they have people and peers to talk to.”
What would you say to others who might be considering a gift of their own?
Wendy: “These special times and stabilizing core values together will impact the lives of our youth in so many ways, enabling them to make their way in every aspect of their interpersonal relationships as they head out into the wider world. Especially with parents so busy in their work lives and teachers overburdened in the classroom, we are very fortunate that Circle Education Society provides such a well-rounded, experiential program in our community. I wish that my teenage grandchildren, living in other parts of British Columbia, could have access to a program like this.”
Rory: “I would tell them that this is a program that builds our community. It is not an add-on; it is not nice-to-have. It’s a need. We are talking about the social fabric, the social structure of our island, making sure kids are not falling through the cracks. We want them to have adequate support, and that they’re building positive networks as they’re making their way through school. I hated every day of school, from day one up to Grade 12. It can be a hard place to be if you do not fit in. And teachers already have way too much work, so we should be grateful for an organization that is willing to come in. It should be funded by the province, 100 percent, but as we know, that isn’t the fact; we should find ways as a community to support it.”
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
