When Caroline Chan passed away in 2013, her sister, Adrienne, wanted to honour her with something meaningful and lasting—something that reflected who she was and the life she had lived.

Caroline and Adrienne were always close, sharing a love for travelling together and for helping others. However, their educational journeys had been quite different. While Adrienne completed several advanced degrees and went on to become an influential professor at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), Caroline did not complete high school because of a lack of support for an undiagnosed learning disability.

Despite this, Caroline never lost her love for education. She was always excited to attend a graduation and see a family member cross the stage. Known for her sunny disposition and infectious laugh, she spent much of her time making a positive difference in her community—such as volunteering with her church’s overnight stay program for people forced to live on the streets.

For Adrienne, the perfect legacy for Caroline needed to honour her dedication to helping others improve their lives. In memory of her sister, Adrienne established the Caroline Chan Memorial Endowment at UFV—which focuses on helping students with a disability and provides bursaries to students enrolled in a human service or social work program.

“Caroline would be thrilled to see this endowment providing students with opportunities she never had,” says Adrienne. “She was such a caring and generous person, and I’m glad that her legacy will live on for future generations.”