Wall of Honour Recipient Heather Fenyes – Business and Philanthropy
On January 25, 2020, the College of Education honoured five outstanding alumni for their contributions and commitment to the field of education. Heather Fenyes (BEd’89) has been inducted into the Wall of Honour in the category of Business and Philanthropy.
Heather Fenyes is a passionate community builder who relentlessly facilitates conversations on topics such as racism and reconciliation designed to ensure that all voices and perspectives are heard. She has created safe places for crucial conversations in individual classrooms, schools, school divisions and around the city of Saskatoon through community panels and other speaking opportunities.
Born in Winnipeg, Heather moved with her family to Saskatoon when she was five. She holds a BA and BEd from the University of Saskatchewan and taught for over thirty years at a Jewish after school program, working to help children develop a strong Jewish identity. Heather has been a full-time volunteer for most of her life, inspired by her parents who raised her to understand that volunteering is a responsibility.
“My passion for teaching has brought me to hundreds of elementary and high school classrooms throughout the decades, teaching about Judaism, the Holocaust and Israel,” said Heather. “Like my mother, when my children were young, I would go into their classrooms, particularly around Christmas time to talk about Chanukah, teaching children about the diversity that fills Saskatoon homes.”
Heather has been very actively involved with her local Saskatoon Jewish community and assumed a number of leadership and working roles, including the presidency of her synagogue. She has worked to connect the synagogue to other faith communities, building friendships and bridges, believing strongly that these friendships are key to healthy communities. In 2013, Heather co-founded Think Good. Do Good., an organization that creates opportunities for children and adults to improve their local community through social justice, civic and multi-faith efforts, events and programs.
One of her volunteer initiatives that inspired broad impact began in 2012.
“That year I began volunteering with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and working on a citizenship education resource that was in development with Chief Commissioner Judge David Arnot,” shared Heather.
Until it was officially brought into Saskatchewan classrooms in 2016, Heather went to schools all over the city on her own and with Judge Arnot to talk to students about their rights and responsibilities.
“I began to introduce the concept of what would become Concentus Citizenship Education to classrooms in an effort to engage and interest students and teachers in this educational resource that filters teaching through a deliberate and intentional character and citizenship lens,” explained Heather.
The resource was officially brought into Saskatchewan schools in 2016, with Heather working closely with the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission to facilitate its implementation.
“My parents Sherwood and Elaine Sharfe made the first large donation of one million dollars to jump-start this initiative, and I continue to look for opportunities to export this universal resource outside Saskatchewan and across Canada,” said Heather.
Heather works with the directors and board chairs of the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and Saskatoon Public School divisions to create cultural learning opportunities. With a focus on interfaith outreach, Heather continues to create opportunities to bridge the local Muslim and Indigenous communities to the Saskatoon Jewish community. She works within the local and provincial school systems to connect the narratives of Residential School survivors with Holocaust survivors.
“A year ago, Congregation Agudas Israel Synagogue in partnership with Concentus Citizenship Education and the Azrieli Foundation hosted a courageous conversation between a Holocaust survivor and a Residential school survivor for almost 2,000 local students. This extraordinary event was transformational and I hope others will follow,” shares Heather.
Her recognitions are wide and varied and include the Senate of Canada Medal for her generosity, dedication and volunteerism. Heather currently sits on the board of directors for Concentus Citizenship Education Foundation, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, the Canadian Jewish Affairs Political Committee and the Jerusalem Foundation. Since 2018, Heather and her parents have been building and operating a hotel in Winnipeg.
For Heather, family is everything. She has three children in whom she has worked to instill the same values that have guided her life: an appreciation and respect for all forms of diversity, a love for community and the importance of giving back, and a strong Jewish identity. She firmly believes her time spent at the College of Education has helped her formulate values and principles that have guided her parenting and her life.
“My internship placements taught me as much about life and parenting as about teaching. I saw both the immeasurable value of good teachers, and the irrefutable influence of parents and families on my students,” shares Heather.