Donor Profile - Edmond and Sylvia Vanhaverbeke

July 27, 2022

In the late 1980’s Edmond and Sylvia Vanhaverbeke made one of their first donations to Trent University. Their business was still relatively young, and they were just starting to dabble in philanthropic endeavours. What they did not realize at the time was the significant impact this gift would have. Their kindness allowed a particularly gifted young man to continue his studies and go on to become an acclaimed researcher that is contributing to a sustainable future in Canada and beyond.

“This was one of the first donations we made to Trent, and honestly we had kind of forgotten about it,” shares Edmond, who recently had the opportunity to meet the man whose life he changed. “It was really such a gratifying experience to meet the former student and see how well he is doing and to know that we made that kind of an impact.”

Edmond and Sylvia are ardent community supporters and have been recognized for their financial and volunteer contributions to various causes and campaigns in the Durham Region.

“We've been very fortunate,” says Edmond, who is the president and founder of Syvan Developments Limited. “We started with very little and built a successful real estate company over the years. We thought the least we could do is give back to the community.”

Edmond and Sylvia believe that investing in education is investing in the economic vitality of their community, and with children and grandchildren of their own, the vitality of local post-secondary institutions remains central to their philanthropic activities.

In 2019, the couple made a $135,500 gift to the Campaign for Trent Durham GTA and created the Edmond & Sylvia Vanhaverbeke Durham Scholarship for final-year Bachelor of Business Administration students, and the Edmond & Sylvia Vanhaverbeke Durham Bursaries that support students with financial needs.

Edmond believes there is a lot of growth potential in the Durham Region and that Trent Durham GTA is a big asset as the region continues to grow and prosper.

“Trent Durham has really made an impact by bringing more arts programs to our region. I consider these very important. Even though I majored in Chemistry, I still value the skills I gained in courses such as English and Philosophy. So, I think Trent coming to Oshawa was very, very important. The University is bringing some in-demand skills to our region.”

For more information about creating a scholarship at Trent University, please contact Donna Doherty, campaign director, at donnadoherty@trentu.ca.