The Annual Giving Program is celebrating its alumni donors, including Danielle ’97 ’99 and Kirk ’95 ’99 Francis who marked their 25th anniversary at Homecoming last year. Annual Giving donations provide much needed support and are important to the university and students. For more information or to donate, please visit www.stfx.ca/give or call Annual Giving at 1-888-222-0227.
Danielle and Kirk Francis began giving back to StFX through its Annual Giving Program right out of school to give back to a place that gave them so much. “It was our starting point and enabled us to enter into the wild and wonderful world of business with a terrific foundation. Even to this day, our StFX network runs strong among our colleagues and friends,” says Danielle.
StFX is not only where they met and became great friends and lifelong partners, it’s the foundation upon which they’ve built their careers, she says.
“It’s the place where we learned to build lasting friendships and relationships. We know it’s a very special place and we are delighted to be able to help give back to the place that gave us so very much. After all is said and done, what you leave behind is your legacy, the memories and the moments that had an impact on others. We like to think that our contribution to StFX enables the school and students to create the next generation of memories and moments that are special to them and their families.”
Danielle and Kirk both graduated twice from StFX. She has a BA and a Bachelor of Information Systems and he has a Diploma in Engineering and a Bachelor of Information Systems. They currently live in Aurora, ON. Danielle’s originally from Cape Breton and Kirk is from Unionville, ON. Both their parents are from Cape Breton so they have strong roots to the Maritimes. After their time at StFX, they both went into management consulting, and both worked at Accenture for many years. Kirk has continued his consulting journey with the Boston Consulting Group and Danielle’s moved into a career in Global Insurance. For years after graduation, Kirk also led Accenture's campus recruiting at StFX.
“We always look to celebrate the milestones as they are a fundamental part of our journey. It’s a highlight for us that on our 25th year, last year, our son Ryan applied to attend StFX for his Bachelor of Business degree,” Danielle says. (He starts at StFX in September.) “Around that time, we did a tour of the campus with our kids and it was very special to go back to the place where we first met and where so many memories were made. StFX forever holds a very important place in our hearts.”
