“Each of my brothers and sisters lived very interesting lives.” As the youngest and the last of 11 Zdunich siblings, Hilda O’Neill cherishes countless beautiful memories of growing up in a large family. Most recently, great joy was to be found in the time set aside for care and visits with her remaining sister, Rosaleen, who was then in her twilight years. It was a regular practice that she now so greatly misses since Rosaleen’s passing.  

YESS is so grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the long and blessed journey of a woman who touched the lives of so many in her lifetime: her family, her religious community and communities, and her many relatives and friends. “Rosaleen lived an extraordinary life! She was generous with her time in life and, in the end, with her money. I was so happy with the various charities that Rosaleen chose to leave a gift to in her will. They reflected causes dear to her heart. And being in education, Rosaleen was happy to help youth.”

Sister Rosaleen Zdunich was a woman of deep faith, prayer, compassion, and sensitivity. She lived a very happy, inspiring, rewarding life, strongly committed to her Roman Catholic tradition. Her work and ministries were faith directed with prayer, hope, joy, remarkable dedication, and passion. Work and friendships came to life with her outstanding creativity, organizational, and leadership skills. Members of the interfaith and the ecumenical communities often remarked on the passion that she had for her work.

Sister Rosaleen studied scripture at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan, Master’s in Psychological Counselling from Fordham University in New York, and graduate diploma in Religious Education through various universities across the USA. Her background was in education as a teacher, principal, and counsellor. Evidence of students’ appreciation was the contact maintained by many students over the years. Working full time in schools, she volunteered many hours beginning to build understanding among the interchurch and interfaith communities. She was the founder of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese Ecumenical office. She coordinated the annual Ecumenical Institute, the first city-wide prayer service for Christian Unity Week. Now both initiatives fly under the banner of Edmonton Council of Churches.

She was one of the founders of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre and the first coordinator. Sister Rosaleen laid the groundwork for interfaith and ecumenism in Edmonton and Alberta. She organized many activities to bring the Edmonton’s interfaith communities together in understanding and appreciation. One of these was the first Prayer Service for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which is still being observed. In 1986 she coordinated the first Jewish/Christian dialogue held at Beth Shalom Synagogue with the Rabbi and the Archbishop together leading a prayer service and the dialogue.

She also coordinated several dialogues such as the city’s first Jewish, Christian, and Muslim dialogue and as well as the first Hindu, Christian, Sikh, and Muslim dialogue. She also organized Edmonton’s Centennial celebration led by 14 faith leaders. As they were called forth according to their arrival year to Edmonton, the faith leaders walked down the grand staircase of City Hall. More than 500 people of all faiths celebrated at City Hall to mark the arrival of these religions to Edmonton. She organized many more such events too numerous to mention.

She leaves a legacy to the City of Edmonton of initiating many events to build bridges of peace, harmony, and acceptance within and among the Christian and interfaith communities. These events are still part of Edmonton’s fabric.

Her love for those less fortunate was evident in her many works of charity and kindness. One could find her on Christmas morning serving dinner in the inner city or at other times preparing food to take to the food bank.  

She was very involved in her Roman Catholic community and especially her parish community.

In 2012 she was invested into the Alberta Order of Excellence, received the City of Edmonton’s “Salute to Excellence Award” in 2005, and the Alberta Centennial medallion for her dedication to building bridges among the faiths in Edmonton. In 1992 she was recognized by the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism in Montreal for outstanding leadership.

One of the numerous recognitions that Sister Rosaleen received in life was having a tree planted in Israel in her honour—a symbol of hope, love and life to last for generations. We at YESS are likewise profoundly grateful to Sister Rosaleen for the forethought of her inspirational legacy gift and for her faith in the youth as they heal and direct the powerful potential of their minds, talents, creativity, and determination to the future.

To learn more about making a legacy gift, please contact Eileen Papulkas by phone at 780.468.7070 x298 or by email at eileen.papulkas@yess.org

One of life’s greatest treasures is the friendships that develop when paths cross. How fortunate is  the person who can draw from a trove of rich and valued memories to rightly express the essence of a life lived by the values, hopes, and aspirations that were most important to them. YESS warmly thanks Allan Reid for sharing an eloquent and personal reflection on the life of Bernard Dousse: a good and close friend to many and a friend to YESS.

It was with deep sorrow, and some surprise, that we mourn Bernard Dousse: a long serving pillar of the Edmonton LGBTQ+ community. Bernard was a man who embraced community in all its iterations. Born in Fribourg, Switzerland, Bernard was the youngest of 13 siblings. The prodigal child of his family, he was the only sibling to seek a life far from the constraints of familiarity, from oversight, and the fear of scandal.

Bernard was born October 1, 1931, into a devoutly Catholic family. Several of his siblings would later become priests or nuns—some so much older than he, as to be, effectively, adults whom young Bernard would have been obliged to hear and obey. He did not speak much about the conditions of his growing up, at least not to me. But there were annual trips back to Fribourg, of which he often expressed his joy in reconnecting with his family, his place of birth, and welcoming new generations of nieces and nephews. Did they know about his homosexuality? Bernard claimed, when asked, that they did not. Keeping such a secret is much more difficult to imagine today than it was then. But a secret can cut both ways. Perhaps there was a silent understanding among his siblings: that thing left unspoken that then can be ignored.

Bernard Dousse: A gracious host, we all share memories of fine weather spent out in his lush vegetable and flower garden, which he lovingly tended | Photo courtesy of Blaine Madsen

Honestly, I never met anyone from Bernard’s family, nor anyone who claims to have done so. I do not know his family dynamics. What we do know is that Bernard launched his career with a doctorate in Natural Science from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Fribourg (1965). Post doctorate, he entered the field of geology, working first in Nigeria, then spending time in South Africa, and eventually arriving in Canada, first on Prince Edward Island, then Montréal and finally, to Alberta where he took a position with the Alberta government, retiring at the prescribed age of 65 in 1996. He was then head of the Evaluation Section, Hydrology Branch, for Alberta Environmental Protection. His was a life-long career path that gave Bernard the freedom to be who he really was, and there was no better life than that.

I first met Bernard in Edmonton in 1987 or 1988. He was an older gay man, and I was in my early twenties and still learning the ropes of gay society. Older gay men were routinely dismissed as trolls among my age group—an odious term suggesting that the only thing they wanted was a young toy to discard after our novelty had worn off. Bernard was not that man. To him, I and everyone else my age were the future, and we deserved to have a brilliant one.

But this was also the death-sentence time in the HIV/AIDS pandemic, before the cocktails of drugs that would eventually bring the disease under control, when we were all struggling to understand how the disease was spread and how to protect ourselves. The very same   were asked during the recent COVID-19 pandemic amid constantly changing recommendations from health authorities. Just as someone’s allergies aroused such fear of their COVID status that people would take a wide path around the poor person suffering seasonal sniffles and sneezes, so then, in many minds, a gay man was automatically deemed to be infected and contagious. And all too often, queer youth had only our queer elders to turn to for knowledge, support, solace, and comfort. Bernard was such a man.

From its inception, Bernard became active within the AIDS Network of Edmonton, and on a more casual level, served as support for many people, younger and older, who were living with HIV/AIDS. An ear that was listening. Someone to hear one’s fears, a mentor for every young man trying to figure out how to live and love in a world dominated by the virus and its associated  discrimination.

Bernard accepted everybody—straight, gay, lesbian, transgender, and, as the concept developed, our non-binary and gender-fluid friends as well. My husband and I moved away from Edmonton in the late 1990s, so though we remained friends, I do not know what relations Bernard had with today’s youth, but I do know that he would have offered an understanding ear. He would have been uplifting, supportive, and a font of knowledge and experience. To Bernard, there was never a question: we are all equals entitled to our own brilliant futures.

And so, in early 2021, at the time when he was still a model of health and fitness, and with a sharp mind such that we, his friends, could all envision him living another decade or more, but, nevertheless, quickly approaching 90 years of age, he revisited his will, as we all must do with increasing regularity the older we get. Bernard approached YESS as a potential recipient from his estate. He was interested in the services and supports that YESS provides to the youth of Edmonton, and of course, how dedicated in terms of their financial structures that YESS is to their stated commitments. He wrote: “I find the objectives and activities of YESS super-important for the well-being—present and future—of our youth-in-need, and certainly very worthy of my serious attention.”

Bernard was never in it for the ego. I am sure he thought of himself as a good person, but never better than anyone else. He did not want renown. What he wanted, through his legacy, was to continue to support Edmonton youth, straight, gay, lesbian, trans, non-binary—all youth—as they each forge their own paths toward a socially, mentally, and emotionally healthful future. And thus, his generous donation to Edmonton’s Youth Empowerment and Support Services.

To learn more about making a legacy gift, please contact Eileen Papulkas by phone at 780.468.7070 x298 or by email at eileen.papulkas@yess.org

Marsha Manolescu was an amazing mother, grandmother, daughter, and sister. She was a seasoned lawyer, faithful friend, and dedicated supporter of YESS. We are delighted and so blessed by Marsha’s children, Stacey, Julie, Trisha, and Chris, as they lovingly share with us the most beautiful swathes of sweeping colour that imbued the life of a greatly beloved mother.

Marsha displayed a lifelong passion for giving to and serving others. Her formative years as the oldest of six children most definitely had something to do with that. Caring for five younger brothers and then four children of her own helped shape her into a brave and independent woman. She was a role model to those around her, willing to try almost anything. She loved to cook, read, and garden. She was a seamstress, a baker, a tutor, and a caregiver. Marsha was a literal “Jill of all trades,” a powerful force.

Marsha: A Loving Grandma | Photo courtesy of Stacey Manolescu

Marsha loved to give gifts. She bought things she loved for herself and for others. Her gifts were thoughtful and generous and, occasionally, a little zany and over the top. She could also be quite practical with her gift-giving. She loved stocking up on necessities like soaps, toothbrushes, t-shirts, and hoodies; buying for those she’d never met before but heard had a need. She and her grandchildren loved filling “birthday bags” with party supplies and snacks and donating them to the local food bank.  She was always thinking of others.

Marsha had a huge heart for the community at large. She spent copious hours volunteering her time and resources, a trait she inherited from her parents. She invited and included her children and grandchildren in many of her volunteer opportunities. Twice a year, her grandkids loved to help Grandma fill and deliver backpacks stuffed with personal care items, school supplies, snacks, and warm clothing for the youth at YESS. Marsha had a soft spot in her heart for troubled youth. She felt it necessary for them to have good quality basics and to feel cared for in their time of need. She felt that by supporting YESS, she was able to let her actions do the talking. Always choosing the highest quality goods to donate in the hopes that her gifts would say, “You are important. No matter what you are going through, we see you and we care.”

Marsha with daughters Julie and Stacey | Photo courtesy of Stacey Manolescu

Through the Blatchford chapter of Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (IODE), Marsha, along with her chapter members, spent hours filling backpacks for youth, making personal property bags for local women’s shelter WIN House, and buying books for adopted school classrooms across the city.

To Marsha, giving to those in need was a part of her routine and it truly filled her cup. When she passed away this past December 2022, it was only fitting to ask those who knew her to give a gift in her name to YESS. A gift that would help continue the great work being done through the support and programs they offer. Marsha wanted people to see that youth in trouble didn’t automatically mean youth who would cause trouble. She wanted to support and supply a safe landing place for youth in hopes it could become a launch pad for their happier and healthier future.

Our mother’s legacy of community support was one to be admired, one we would love to see continue. We hope her story of compassion and generosity will encourage others to support the wonderful programs of YESS.

To learn more about making a legacy gift, please contact Eileen Papulkas by phone at 780.468.7070 x298 or by email at eileen.papulkas@yess.org

This article was originally published in the 2021 Planned Giving Newsletter.

Charitable giving is a deeply rewarding experience that benefits our communities and the causes that are dear to us. The government encourages giving by providing a variety of tax incentives for individuals looking to give back. There are many types of charitable gifts, each with its own advantages and tax implications. It is important to review and understand the basic features of each type of gift so that you may choose the option that best suits your needs and financial circumstances.

Donation Tax Credit

All donations by individuals to a registered charity in Canada are eligible for the donation tax credit. In Alberta donations up to $200 receive a combined (provincial and federal) tax credit of $50 (15% federally and 10% provincially).

When donating more than $200 in Alberta, the provincial tax credit jumps from 10% to 21% and depending on your income tax bracket, the federal tax credit jumps from 15% to 29% (or 33% if your income exceeds $210,371).

In-Kind Donations

In addition to the donation tax credit, in-kind donations of property, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or segregated funds that have increased significantly in value are perfect candidates for tax incentivized giving. Gifting these securities directly to a registered charity in-kind provides a special tax treatment and exemption from capital gains that cannot be taken advantage of by selling the security and donating the proceeds.

To understand the impact of donating securities in-kind, assume “Etta” owns a mutual fund that has a fair market value of $100,000 that she purchased many years ago for $20,000. She is considering donating the mutual fund to charity.

If Etta sells the mutual fund first and donates the sale proceeds, she would realize a capital gain of $80,000 and pay tax on half of that capital gain. In this case she would be looking at approximately $18,000 in capital gains and a tax benefit of approximately $32,000. Instead, Etta could avoid selling the mutual fund by donating the fund in-kind and the capital gains tax would be eliminated. She would be entitled to the full tax receipt of $100,000, a net tax benefit of $50,000 on her gift. Her decision to donate in-kind saved her $18,000 in tax!

If we consider that some of Etta’s investments have not performed as anticipated, she can also donate any depreciated securities to charity and claim the capital loss to be used against either capital gains realized in the current year or carried back and used against any gains she may have realized in the prior three years. The capital loss may also be carried forward indefinitely to future years.

Charitable giving has a real and positive impact on our communities, the organizations we support, and ourselves as individuals. The government has recognized the value that giving has on society and provided incentives that we can all use to gain the maximum value for our dollars. In-kind donations are a fantastic example of these incentives. If giving is a priority to you, reach out to YESS and the tax experts in your life to fully explore tax incentivized strategies for giving.

Ayden is an Investment Advisor with the Harty Investment Group at CIBC Wood Gundy. He has a passion for finance and portfolio management and has enjoyed every moment of his 8 years of experience in the financial services industry.

The Harty Investment Group provides wholistic wealth management through customized portfolio management, estate and trust planning, tax planning, charitable giving, intergenerational wealth transfer strategies and business succession planning.

Outside of the office, Ayden enjoys spraying golf balls, wrestling his daughter Colette, and sharing a glass of wine and a meal on the patio with his wife Brittany. Ayden is a former member of the YESS Board of Directors.

To learn more about making a legacy gift, please contact Eileen Papulkas by phone at 780.468.7070 x298 or by email at eileen.papulkas@yess.org