I had the privilege of hosting a celebration last week in honour of Val and Dick Bradshaw, recipients the 2013 SFU President's Distinguished Community Leadership Award.

The Bradshaws received the award for their intelligent brand of philanthropic leadership.

They have supported research chairs in environmental and coastal studies across Canada (including two at SFU), and one in prostate cancer research at VGH, as well as other humanitarian causes throughout our community.

As I looked out the warm, smiling faces of the more than 300 people who found time in their busy schedules to attend this sold-out event, I felt the deep impact of their contributions.

Many of the people in that room had stories they could tell about how our communities and country have benefited from the Bradshaw's philanthropy.

Val and Dick have enabled researchers to develop cancer drugs and to find better ways to manage salmon populations and to preserve our natural landscape. 

They have supported a multitude of grassroots organizations.  And they have mentored others to continue their tradition of philanthropy. That's true community engagement.

It caused me to reflect upon the extent to which philanthropy has shaped SFU's ability to engage communities.

Our Vancouver campus would not exist had it not been for donor support.

Each facility—Harbour Centre; the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue; the Segal Graduate School of Business; and the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts—became part of SFU as a result of community members stepping up to provide leadership and financial support.

Philanthropy also allows us to create unique programming opportunities for student engagement and to support students who take part in these opportunities. 

A $22-million gift from SFU alumnus Ryan Beedie and his father Keith has allowed our business school to do both, and to flourish in ways that we never imagined.

And throughout the years, many of our most successful research initiatives and centres, including the LiberEro Chair in Coastal Management supported by Val and Dick, were brought to life through the vision and commitment of our donors.

With such a strong history of donor engagement, it's no wonder that SFU is well on its way to establishing itself as Canada's most community-engaged research university.