Samir and Marie Chater believe in the power of community and giving back. They also believe that anyone can be a philanthropist and that this type of activity isn’t only reserved for people, or families, with millions of dollars. They knew from very early on in their relationship they would find a way to make a meaningful difference as a family.
Samir immigrated to Halifax in 1974 from Lebanon. Since he had been formally educated in French prior to his arrival in Canada, Samir elected to complete the first three years of his engineering degree at Université de Moncton. However, a desire to challenge himself and become proficient in English led Samir to completing his degree at Dalhousie University.
“I was very apprehensive about transferring universities, as the last two years of any engineering degree are full of technical terms that were, at the time completely unknown to me,” says Samir. “I had four or five dictionaries I consulted to do my coursework. It was a challenge, but ultimately, I was very happy to have done it as I fulfilled my goal”.
After graduating, Samir pursued a master’s degree at the Université de Sherbrooke and worked as an engineering consultant in Montreal at SNC Lavalin and in Halifax at Vaughan Engineering. It was during this time that he met his wife Marie, a journalist by training.
In 1992, Samir established a real estate development business. Marie left her own career to lead all office and administration functions of the company until she and Samir started their family. “Marie allowed me and our family to flourish,” says Samir. “From the beginning she provided strong roots so both I and our three children could grow”.
After 30 years at the helm of his company Samir stepped back from business to focus on family, travel, and the plan he and Marie had for their family to be changemakers. “The time seemed right to sell several real-estate holdings that had increased in value so our family would have the liquidity we desired to begin our work as philanthropists,” says Samir.
Samir and Marie met with their BMO Private Wealth Senior Investment Counsellor and a member of the Philanthropic Advisory Services team to determine what investment vehicle would be best to help them achieve their philanthropic wishes. They settled on a Donor Advised Fund (“DAF”) via the BMO Charitable Giving Program.
The DAF option provided tax credits for the appreciated gains from the properties they sold, therefore maximizing the amount of money they had available to invest. Further, the DAF option would take care of all the governance and administration requirements so the Chater family could focus on what is most important to them, giving.
Samir and Marie, together with their son JP and two daughters Jasmine and Nicole, who are now in their 20s and 30s, discussed several options for the first project they would support from their DAF.
“Four of us are alumni of Dalhousie University,” shares Marie. “Finding a way to support undergraduate students through their studies was something that resonated with all of us”. Today the Chater family helps students at the university via:
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The Samir & Marie Chater Scholarship Fund: Available to Indigenous students with preference given to students studying engineering.
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The Samir & Marie Chater Scholarship Fund in Nursing: Available to students from historically marginalized communities.
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The Samir & Marie Chater Bursary Fund: Available to students who identify as single parents pursuing any undergraduate degree.
“The decision to create these student awards came from an interest in increasing representation within academic faculties and professions,” says Samir. “The engineering scholarship was a natural fit given my own studies, but our children wanted to add a focus on Indigenous peoples because they are highly underrepresented on campus and in my profession”.
Marie shared, “we also chose to set up a scholarship in nursing because while spending time in health care settings and hospitals our family noticed the predominance of white women in that profession”. She continues, “our family hopes that students who did not see a place for themselves in programs like engineering and nursing will now be encouraged to apply”.
The Chater family hopes that their story of giving will inspire others to create similar opportunities for those in need and look forward to determining what type of project they will fund next from their DAF.
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