The donors: Alexandra and Brad Krawczyk
The gift: $2-million
The cause: Anishnawbe Health Foundation
Alexandra Krawczyk has just one word to describe the past two years: terrible.
Her parents, billionaire businessman Barry Sherman and his wife, Honey, were found dead in their Toronto home in December, 2017, and the high profile case remains unsolved. “There are no words to describe it,” Ms. Krawczyk said from her home in Toronto. “They were two amazing, beautiful people.”
The Shermans were also major philanthropists and Ms. Krawczyk and her husband, Brad Krawczyk, are carrying on the tradition. “We’ve been working very hard to ensure that the philanthropy continues. That has been my focus very strongly for the last two years,” Ms. Krawczyk said.
Last year, the couple set up a family foundation and their first major gift was a $2-million donation to Toronto’s Anishnawbe Health Foundation. The money will help build a new centre for the organization, which promotes traditional Indigenous practices. Ms. Krawczyk has had a long interest in Indigenous issues and she spent part of her nursing training on a First Nation reserve in British Columbia.
“I loved living up on reserve and I’m very interested in Indigenous philosophy and spirituality," she said.
Anishnawbe Health Toronto “is such a worthy cause and we really hope to see this building reach its goal,” Mr. Krawczyk added.
The Krawczyks are also involved with Birth Mark, a Toronto charity that helps provide doula support to women to assist them in navigating issues surrounding sexual health, reproductive health and infant care.
Health care is just one area the couple plans to focus on through their foundation. “Brad and I had a vision for many years to start a foundation and do more innovative work with marginalized populations,” Ms. Krawczyk said. She added that while she’s following in the footsteps of her parents when it comes to philanthropy, they can never be replaced. “They are deeply missed and nobody can ever fill their shoes,” she said.
Paul Waldie