Jeremy Kaplan
The picturesque town of Beausejour, MB, is located just over 45 kilometers from Winnipeg. Its proximity to the city has made the town a popular getaway spot for many, and with its name originally coming from the French words for “beautiful stay”, it’s not hard to see why. Outdoor activities are plentiful in every season, ranging from fishing to camping to festivals.
Clinton Orr and his wife Jodi Ruta have been proud citizens of Beausejour for many years. The couple has always been passionate about helping others, and they’ve both dedicated themselves and their careers to doing so. Orr is the Senior Wealth Advisor and Senior Portfolio Manager with Canaccord Genuity Group, while his wife, Jodi Ruta, is the founder of a dog training and pet boarding company called Furry Godmother. They are also the co-founders of the Pet Life Animal Fund, providing funding to Manitoba rescue organizations to help cover medical bills.
They started this initiative in 2020 after the passing of their first rescue dog, Bubba. This pup had a profound impact on both of their lives; he inspired Ruta to begin her dog training career and introduced them to the world of rescue organizations. After learning about the tight budgets that many rescues operate on, the two of them began to make regular donations, but decided to take it a step further upon Bubba’s passing. They decided to start the Fund, which has continued to support Manitoba rescues by helping to cover vital vet visits that many dogs must go through upon arriving at these shelters.
Orr and Ruta have supported other local charity efforts such as Run for the Cure and Dream Factory, and they’ve found tremendous satisfaction in community service. It was to encourage others to share this satisfaction and become more active within their communities that they decided to create a new scholarship, the “Clinton Orr & Jodi Ruta Community Builder Scholarship Fund”.
This scholarship is aimed at graduating students in the Ecole Edward Schreyer School catchment area. It will award $4,000 to two students each year. The successful students must demonstrate active volunteer involvement in their community or in the school’s sanctioned activities, which the couple hopes will increase community service and awareness within the student population. In cases where multiple applicants have the same volunteer score, the scholarship is to be awarded to the students with the highest academic achievements.
Supporting the scholarship’s creation is the Brokenhead River Community Foundation, a local non-profit organization. The BRCF is dedicated to providing financial grants to projects within the Beausejour and Brokenhead community. Its founder, Gerald Hawranik, was able to make this Foundation flourish with the combined effort of massive fundraising events and the generous contribution of the Thomas Sill Foundation in Winnipeg. The BRCF has been able to support multiple local projects in the following years and continues to be a source of steadfast support for the community’s charity work.
Orr and Ruta’s goal is for their new scholarship to provide the push that many students need to get out there and become active within their communities, sharing the passion for helping others that drives the two of them. They hope that this will reach further than just the students, inspiring their parents, neighbors, and all local citizens to continue giving back.
