StFX’s Annual Giving Program is celebrating its many alumni donors, who provide much-needed support and are so important to StFX and its students. Here we meet, Brenda Lehmann '85, who has been supporting StFX for 30 years.
For more information on Annual Giving or to donate, please go online www.stfx.ca/annualgiving or call the Annual Giving Office at 1-888-222-0227.
Longtime donor reflects on life-changing StFX experience and why she gives back
Brenda Lehmann ’85 has been supporting St. Francis Xavier University for about 30 years—ever since 1995—but her connection to the university began much earlier, thanks to a conversation that changed the course of her life.
Growing up in Calgary, AB, and attending St. Francis High School, Ms. Lehmann had never heard of the Antigonish, NS university until her principal, Colin MacIsaac ’57, encouraged her to apply both to StFX and for the Dr. Ed O’Conner Scholarship, an award for Calgary students that in 1981 provided $8,000 of funding over four years. She got in, received the scholarship, and that created an opportunity for her that still impacts her life today.
“My parents immigrated from Europe to Canada. Nobody on either side of our family had ever been to university,” she recalls. “I would not have been able to go (to StFX) except for that scholarship.”
During her student days, Ms. Lehmann immersed herself in campus life. She lived in TnT residence, played field hockey, and served as activities coordinator with the Students’ Union. Several classmates from her Calgary high school also came to StFX, and together with friends made on campus, she found a community.
“All of my best friends are X people,” she says. “We’ve remained friends more than 40 years.”
After graduating with an honours degree in political science, she obtained a law degree from Ottawa U and embarked on a career in law. Very early on, Ms. Lehmann began giving back to the university. She started donating in 1995 and now contributes monthly, including to funds established in honour of 1985 classmates, and good friends, Katie Fleming and Dave Bernatchez, who have both passed away.
“One of the reasons I donate is to give other people, who might not otherwise have the opportunity, a chance to experience all that is StFX. I would not have had the opportunity to attend StFX without the generosity of the people who supported the scholarship I received.”
When she looks back at her life, she says so much of it is tied to the friendships and opportunities that began at the university. “StFX becomes like an extended family, a family away from home,” she adds. “There’s just something that happens there.”
Ms. Lehmann says financial support remains crucial today for many students to attend university. “This is a way to give back.”
She emphasizes that meaningful impact doesn’t depend on giving large or generational gifts. “Small contributions add up over time,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be a large amount to make a difference.”
She appreciates how simple Annual Giving makes the process: once set up, she says, it is like paying a phone or electricity bill: automatic and manageable. It’s easy, it’s meaningful, and for someone, it might be life-changing.
Ms. Lehmann also notes that donors can direct their support to areas that matter most to them. “You can give to things that are near and dear to your heart.”
