Royal Roads University (RRU) says it has received a gift valued at nearly $10 million, which includes a property on Salt Spring Island. The donation comes from the late Susan Bagley Bloom, a long-time Salt Spring Island resident and environmental philanthropist, through the Bloom Canadian Alter Ego Trust. The gift includes a property along Beddis Beach, north of Fulford Harbour, that’s valued at roughly $4.
66 million, according to RRU. The school says the property includes an “architecturally significant house,” outbuildings, a foreshore lease, an orchard of heritage fruit trees and waterfront gardens. The gift also includes a $5.
27 million donation for maintenance and improvements on the land, as well as any programming that takes place on it. The school notes that $4.6 million of that total will be endowed.
Story continues below: The main building on the property is shown. (Royal Roads University) ‘Bloom Castle by the Sea’ Royal Roads says the main building on the property will be named the “Bloom Castle by the Sea” in remembrance of Susan Bloom. The school says the property will be used for field trips, workshops, seminars and interdisciplinary classes – all with a theme of regenerative sustainability for the environment, as well as for social, economic and political issues.
“We are extremely grateful for the pristine natural lands from the Bloom gift, which will serve as a dynamic space for local and global changemakers-, artists-, scholars-, and writers-in-residence, enhancing learning and research opportunities through Salt Spring Island’s unique landscape and natural beauty,” said Philip Steenkamp, president and vice-chancellor of RRU in a release Friday. Royal Roads says it is also working with the Salt Spring Island Farmland Trust and Salt Spring Island Conservancy to steward the land. CHEK Newsletter Sign up for the CHEK Now daily email newsletter to get breaking news and the day's top stories sent to your email.
Email Address Sign Me Up “We are absolutely delighted that Susan Bloom has made a real and lasting contribution to the rich fabric of life on Salt Spring Island,” said Mark Horne, KC and Jan Theunisz, trustees of the Susan Bloom estate. “Through her remarkable vision and generosity, RRU will be able to create a home for learning, right here, directed toward finding solutions for some of the most pressing issues of our time.” SEE ALSO: B.
C. philanthropists donate $92 million, plan for the future of the Tula Foundation The trio says Bloom would be excited for the future of the property that she lived on for nearly four decades. “We know that Susan would be thrilled about the prospect of people, with so many different skills and backgrounds, coming together on the property she loved and stewarded for almost 40 years, with an overarching focus on advancing the values of regenerative sustainability, including ecosystem integrity, which was the core driver of her philanthropy,” said the trustees.
A video of the property shared by Royal Roads University can be viewed below: Editorial Policies Report an Error.
