James Appleyard and Tamara Rebanks are two of our most dedicated and experienced volunteers, with more than 30 years of volunteer service between them as directors, interviewers and mentors. And they have a unique history with the Loran Scholars Foundation: now married, they first met when interviewing together on a Toronto regional selection committee in the autumn of 2000.
Tamara is Vice-President, Community Affairs at George Weston Ltd, one of Canada’s largest public companies, where she is responsible for a charitable giving program that helps Canadian children to become more healthy and active. She serves on the board for the Loran Scholars Foundation and mentored a scholar from the Class of 2011.
“If someone is doing that at 17 or 18, just think of what they will do when they are 30 or 40.”
Tamara takes a long, broad view of the foundation’s work. “Character is a difficult thing to define and look for in a teenager. When I interview, I look for candidates that have stepped outside their comfort zone and taken on a challenge or solved some issue. If someone is doing that at 17 or 18, just think of what they will do when they are 30 or 40. The Loran Scholars Foundation doesn’t care if you are going to be a future business entrepreneur, scientist or leader in the charitable sector. We need leaders in all those fields to be successful as a nation.”
James, who is President & Founder of Freycinet Investments, a venture capital company. He spent the past decade building the fundraising technology company Artez Interactive, which he sold in 2013. James was board chair of the Loran Scholars Foundation for three years, continues to serve on the foundation’s investment committee and was named a member of the Honorary Council in 2014. He has been interviewing Loran candidates since 1994 and mentored two scholars at the University of Toronto.
He is a strong believer in the non-monetary aspects of the enrichment program. “When I speak with prospective donors, our conversations focus on the ‘end-game’ of what the Loran Scholars Foundation is actually pursuing. We are aiming to build a greater country with our scholars as contributors in a host of different ways. The scholarship money is no more than the necessary fuel. The aspects of program enrichment —summer program, mentoring, orientation expedition & retreat, the wider network—are what make all the difference.”
James and Tamara are members of our Founders’ Circle, jointly underwriting awards for Applebanks Loran Scholars.
Applebanks Loran Scholars
Claire Gummo
Applebanks Loran Scholar ’13
Queen’s University
Calgary, Alberta
Ilakkiyan Jeyakumar
Applebanks Loran Scholar ’16
University of British Columbia
Scarborough, Ontario
Abeera Shahid
Applebanks Loran Scholar ’15
McMaster University
Brampton, Ontario
Diana Wong
Applebanks Loran Scholar ’08
University of Waterloo
Vancouver, British Columbia
Helen Zhou
Applebanks Loran Scholar ’15
University of British Columbia
Toronto, Ontario