Dawn Henville (BScN 1976, MN 1987) has given back in various ways to the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing over the years, but recently she decided to make an even bigger impact in support of the education of future nurses.
This year, Henville established the Dawn Henville Award in Nursing in support of BScN students seeking to reduce financial barriers and have an immediate impact on students and their education.
“Everybody says that nurses are important, but I don’t know how many people think of making donations to the Faculty,” says Henville. “I believe that if you feel nursing has been good to you, it is important to consider how can you help others feel the same.”
Henville, who was born in the West Indies, trained to become a pediatric nurse in England before returning home to work as a nurse. When the political climate of her home country became too fraught to continue working there, she emigrated to Canada, where she began working as a nurse at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).
As a mature student Henville decided to return to school it was during her time as a BScN student at U of T, that she also was a recipient of a donor award. She recalls feeling elated at the unexpected donation, because as a mature student, she had needed to take a leave from her job in order to complete the program.
“I remember writing a thank you letter to the donor and thinking how nice it felt that someone I didn’t know was helping me,” says Henville.
Henville went on to pursue a master’s degree in nursing and later became head nurse at the SickKids before deciding to shift her career and move into the field of public health. It was different, she says, but in a good way, that had her treating people who were well and keeping them healthy.
With her vast experience in pediatric nursing, Henville would later join the Catholic Children’s Aid Society working alongside social workers to assess the health and development of infants on home visits. Henville is particularly proud of her efforts along with a small but might group of nurses, to advocate for the position of Health Specialist to be filled by a registered nurse.
“Ensuring this appropriate recognition of nurses within the social services system has meant a lot to us, and 40 years later that role is still filled by a registered nurse,” says Henville.
Though she has been retired for over 20 years, Henville still actively volunteers at Michael Garron Hospital, finding moments to continue giving back, whether holding babies in the NICU or lending an ear to a patient as they are moved between units. It has become a cycle of support, and Henville is glad to keep on giving.
Alumni interested in making a donation or establishing an award in support of expanding nursing education can email Senior Development Officer, Nicole Landa.