³Ô¹ÏÍø

Nov. 11, 2024

³Ô¹ÏÍø mourns the passing of Helen Kun (nee Jakubcsik), a dedicated and generous champion of ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Brantford campus. Helen passed away on Nov. 4 in her 99^th year.

Helen and her husband, Steven (2023), supported the development and success of ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s Brantford campus by working alongside ³Ô¹ÏÍø to renew the city’s downtown core. Their transformational support of the Heritage Campaign for ³Ô¹ÏÍø Brantford was recognized by the naming of the Steven and Helen Kun Performance Theatre in the Research and Academic Centre, and their $2-million donation toward the ³Ô¹ÏÍø Brantford YMCA capital campaign was recognized by the naming of the Kun Family Atrium in the ³Ô¹ÏÍø Brantford YMCA’s main entrance.

In 2017, ³Ô¹ÏÍø recognized the couple’s generosity with the ³Ô¹ÏÍø Philanthropy Award.

“Philanthropy on the scale demonstrated by Helen and Steven Kun has the power to transform an entire community,” said Jason Coolman, ³Ô¹ÏÍø’s vice-president of Advancement and External Relations. “With deep connections to the Brantford area, Helen and her husband positively impacted countless lives – both of ³Ô¹ÏÍø students and local Brantford residents who embraced the university. We at ³Ô¹ÏÍø consider it a great honour to have counted Helen Kun as a friend and supporter, and our entire university community offers its deepest condolences to her family.”