Sudbury Women’s Centre received a carload of needed donations this month from the JF Extraordinaire Foundation.
The foundation is the brainchild of Tashoy McKenzie-Pearson, a Laurentian University nursing student. It is named in honour of her mother, Janet Frazer, who passed away when McKenzie-Pearson was a teenager.
“This year, my foundation partnered with Laurentian University Student Nursing councils and other businesses in the community to do a donation drive for the Women’s Centre,” she told Sudbury.com.
The donation, which filled a minivan with diapers and other items for those who need the Women’s Centre’s services, was dropped off on Dec. 6. The foundation is also making donations to support initiatives for homeless people and new Canadian immigrants outside the Sudbury region.
McKenzie-Pearson, who was just married a few months ago and is still recovering from a car accident not long after the wedding, said her new husband, Al-Jerome Pearson, has been a big help in ensuring the foundation could get it’s Christmas donations going.
She also thanked Tony’s Auto Shop for supporting this year’s donations, as well as the Laurentian nursing councils, the Laurentian University Nursing Students’ Association (LUNSA) and Association des étudiantes et des étudiants en sciences infirmières à l'Université Laurentienne (AÉÉSI).
McKenzie-Pearson said her mother’s big heart and selfless spirit is what inspired her to start the foundation.
“I started the Janet Frazer Extraordinaire Foundation in memory of my mother, who died when I was just a teenager — she had ovarian cancer,” she said. “Growing up in Jamaica, we weren’t rich, but she still raised us to always give what we could and to be kind to other people.”
She even shared a memory that illustrates her mother’s approach.
“I remember one morning I woke up, I think I was 13 or 14 years old at the time, and I noticed some shoes from my shoe rack weremissing,” McKenzie-Pearson said. “As I headed to the veranda, I noticed bags of my own clothes and shoes. I asked my mother what was going on and she explained she was donating my things to our neighbour’s child because most of the items were barely worn or brand new.”
McKenzie-Pearson said she wasn’t upset to give the items away; she was troubled that her mother hadn’t asked first. Her mother’s response stuck with her. Her mother told her that was fine, but she would have to tell the girl her decision on her own.
“She said it so calm and walked away. A little later the little girl came and I can never forget the look she had on her face when she arrived, she had the biggest smile and her face was well lit with excitement and joy to receive new clothes and shoes,” McKenzie-Pearson said. “At that moment, I realized that I could not be responsible for taking away that smile and joy in her heart, I couldn’t do it. I gave her all the items and went in my room to grab more stuff just to give her. I will never forget that day, and today I understand why my mom said what she said … it was a test for her to see if she raised me well and also a test for me to see if I was going to be selfish just because my mother didn’t tell me first this time.”
To learn more about the foundation, visit @JFEFoundation on Instagram.
