Pascal Siakam Made A 'Generous Donation' To TMU & His Funds Made A Real Difference
Toronto doesn't need another reason to fawn over Toronto Raptors player Pascal Siakam, but it's getting one anyway, yippee!
In a press release posted on Wednesday, Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) announced that Siakam and his foundation, PS43 Foundation Canada, had made a "generous donation" to the Lincoln Alexander School of Law.
\u201cWe're thrilled to share @Raptors Pascal Siakam (@pskills43) has made a generous donation to the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, enabling @TorontoMet law students to work this summer w/ orgs that support communities facing barriers to the legal system. https://t.co/AylS8d4F8o.\u201d— Lincoln Alexander School of Law (@Lincoln Alexander School of Law) 1663805153
The school said the Raptors' contribution allowed its students to "gain meaningful and paid work experiences."
"The foundation allowed Canada's newest law school to broaden the reach of its Summer Experience Projects initiative to include organizations that otherwise would not have been able to engage students in summer roles and are often underrepresented as career options to young lawyers," the release states.
The positions usually involve collaboration with frontline organizations that assist Indigenous, racialized, and other "equity-deserving communities" facing poverty, discrimination, or other systemic barriers.
"Due to financial constraints, these social justice organizations often cannot afford to pay for summer student positions, and so opportunities for law students to learn from and lend their skills to these organizations remain quite limited," it adds.
Siakam opened up about the reasoning behind his decision, citing his father, who died in a car crash in October 2014, as an inspiration.
"My father understood that education has the power to change lives and I try to honour his passion for learning through our work at PS43," says Pascal Siakam.
"Giving students at Toronto Metropolitan University's Lincoln Alexander School of Law the opportunity to contribute to and learn from organizations that have the public interest at heart is exactly the kind of empowering experience that can transform their futures," he added.
