Estate of Donna Bushell Supports the Rotary Music Festival with $30,000 Donation
Photo: Emily Stage (second from left) and Andrew Gunn (at right) of Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press met recently with Frank Exley, Gerry Janssen, Pat Martyn, Stewart Shouldice, and Trudy Kanellis of The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation to celebrate a contribution of $30,000 from the Estate of Donna Bushell in support of the Rotary Music Festival.
The Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell has contributed $30,000 to The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation, which includes $20,000 to establish new awards for the Rotary Music Festival. Beginning in 2021, the Festival will provide two ‘Doris Evans Awards’ of $1,000 each, specifically to benefit one piano student every year and one other student to be determined annually by the Festival organizers (for a period of ten years). Doris Evans was the sister of Donna Bushell and a music teacher for many years. Additionally, $10,000 has been provided to establish a ‘Music Student Fund’ to allow the Rotary Music Festival to support participating students who may require assistance to compete at the Festival or in higher competitions.
“The St. Thomas Rotary Music Festival is extremely grateful to have received this significant contribution from the Donna Bushell Estate,” states Frank Exley, Chair of the Music Festival Committee. “It will ensure the continued success of the Festival while honouring the memory of Doris Evans as music teacher and church organist in the community.”
Beyond our social media work and partnerships with private companies and government organizations, our team at young & free press function as consultants alongside owner Andrew Gunn through his consulting firm, Andrew Gunn Consulting Inc. This gives our teenage staff members the opportunity to provide ideas and develop special community projects! Currently, we are the consultants on the Estate of Donna Bushell, who passed away in November 2019 in her hundredth year. Andrew and our teenage contributors have taken the lead on announcing the donations from the Estate – ultimately, more than $2.5M will be allocated to support a series of remarkable initiatives in St. Thomas and Elgin County!
Here is the statement from Andrew Gunn regarding the contribution from the Bushell Estate in support of the Rotary Music Festival: “With the COVID-19 pandemic, events worldwide have been disrupted, and we need to find ways to reinvent festivals and other gatherings. The Rotary Music Festival has been integral to the St. Thomas community for decades. This funding will help to attract participants in the coming years, even as the Festival adapts during the pandemic. We are excited to provide this donation in support of students who are dedicated to the study and performance of music.”
The Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation and the Rotary Music Festival
The St. Thomas Rotary Music Festival has been an annual tradition in St. Thomas and Elgin County since 1952, when the first festival took place with 380 entries, 5 adjudicators, and $1,000 in scholarships. The 66th Festival was completed in February of this year, just before the COVID restrictions came into place. We awarded $6,100 in scholarships to over 60 students to advance their musical studies.
As sponsor of the festival, the Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation receives annual donations from individuals, businesses, and service clubs, as well as memorial donations to fund scholarships and awards for music festival participants. The Foundation is grateful for the contribution from the Donna Bushell Estate. The addition of the two $1,000 Doris Evans Awards starting in 2021, will allow the Rotary Music Festival to stay competitive with neighboring festivals in attracting participants. As well, the creation of the $10,000 Music Student Fund will ensure that any student, regardless of their financial status, can participate in the festival and in higher level competitions.
The Estate of Donna Bushell
Donna Vera Evans Bushell passed away November 9, 2019, in her hundredth year, the last of her family. Donna’s passion was to plant trees and reminisce about her ancestors and friends while her sister Doris Evans taught music as a church organist. The oldest sister, Thelma Joiner, taught elementary school around Aylmer for forty-five years and researched local North Yarmouth history. All three sisters shared a love of their heritage as descendants of the pioneer Westlake, Penhale and Gilbert families who settled along the North Edgeware Road in Yarmouth. Their collected historical papers will eventually be deposited in the Elgin County Archives. More than $2M has been allocated from the Estate to date in support of a series of exciting projects in Elgin County and St. Thomas.
The Evans sisters in August 1999: Doris Evans (back left), Donna Bushell (back right), and Thelma Joiner (in front). Recently, the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell provided $30,000 to the Rotary Club of St. Thomas Foundation in support of the Rotary Music Festival, including funding for student awards. The awards will be named after Doris Evans, who taught music and served as a church organist for many years.
