Our Founder

Dora Anie, Founder

August 23, 1949 – June 11, 2019

Born in Mepom, Ghana (1949), Dora Anie immigrated to Canada with her husband in 1973, and settled in Hamilton where they raised two daughters, Barbara and Ann-Marie. In 2004, Dora founded Schools of Dreams, and dedicated her life to helping children in rural Ghana access education. In 2018, after more than a decade of work, SOD gained official CRA status as a registered charity. Sadly, our founder passed away from ovarian cancer in June 2019. Her family granted one of her final wishes, which was to donate $10,000 to Schools of Dreams to help continue Dora’s legacy. After her passing, Dora was featured among the “12 most remarkable Canadians who died in 2019” in the Globe & Mail national newspaper.

Dora’s Community Involvement Summary

Dora attended numerous events and conferences throughout Hamilton and surrounding areas.

Volunteer Organizations

  • Helping Hands Street Mission
  • Out of the Cold program at MacNab Street Presbyterian Church
  • Guest speaker at local schools
  • Wellwood (Cancer Support network)
  • Living Rock Ministries (Organization for at risk youth)
  • Session Member and Elder at MacNab Street Presbyterian Church

Memberships

  • Zonta
  • People in Connection
  • The Rotary Club
  • Ghana Association
  • Hamilton Women’ s Connection
  • Afro-Canadian Caribbean Association

Awards & Recognition

  • Canada’s 100 Black Women To Watch
  • Globe & Mail, “12 most remarkable Canadians who died in 2019”
  • Endless Possibilities & Hope development, “The Women’s Courage Award” for Philanthropy”
  • Province of Ontario Certificate, “Leading Women-Building Communities”
  • Rotary Club of Ancaster, Am, Certificates
  • Ghanaian-Canadian Achievement Award
  • Nominee for Global & Mail Transformational Canadian Award
  • Nominee for John C. Holland Award