B.C. philanthropist’s gift inspires veterinary graduates to ‘pay it forward’
Pauline Sang’s selfless spirit and devotion to animal welfare advocacy brought joy to everyone around her during her lifetime.
By Tyler Schroeder“She was everybody’s best friend. I’ve never met anybody else like Pauline, who was the most kind, caring and generous person,” says Franco Marino when describing the life of his late partner.
Born in Fiji, Sang was five or six years old when her family moved to Vancouver, B.C., where she eventually found her first pet dog and became involved in animal outreach.
“Pauline was always a dog person, but she loved all animals. She owned and fostered multiple dogs, volunteered in many aspects of dog rescues, and got involved in helping elderly people look after their pets when they needed assistance,” says Marino.
Her ability to help others also included a passion for philanthropy. She was dedicated to discovering the needs of animal charities and organizations around the world and finding ways to support them. Marino says that he and Sang were discussing estate planning when she became excited about a new idea that would support both veterinary education and volunteerism.
“She said, ‘What I’m going to do is financially help a veterinary student complete their studies, and then ask that student to pay it forward,’” says Marino.
Sang passed away in 2021, but her unique idea lives on in a new scholarship: the Pauline Sang Award for Compassionate Animal Welfare, which will be presented to a veterinary graduate at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) each year.
As Sang had envisioned, her award will support a new veterinarian’s career plans of supporting animal welfare through volunteerism and community involvement. The new scholarship, which is supported by a $1-million endowed gift from Sang’s estate, will cover the full tuition of one or more veterinary students in their final year of studies.
In addition, Sang is the first donor in the WCVM’s history who wished to provide full tuition for award recipients whether they hold provincially subsidized seats or non-subsidized seats at the college.
Dr. Sophie Adams (DVM'24) of Saskatoon, Sask., accepted the inaugural scholarship from Marino during the WCVM’s graduation awards program on June 5. Adams’ award was worth $15,250 based on tuition fees for the 2023-24 academic year.
“It’s a very special honour that I’m very grateful for,” says Adams. “Pauline Sang was such a strong woman who made a big difference in the lives of animals and humans — she’s very inspirational.”
Through her participation in two WCVM programs, Adams had the chance to work in northern Canadian communities — invaluable experiences that influenced her career ambitions.
“In the summer of 2022, I spent three months in Nunavut working with Dr. Emily Jenkins’ research program in tracking the spread of diseases in animals,” says Adams.
During her fourth year, she also participated in the service learning rotation with the college’s Northern Engagement and Community Outreach (NECO) program. As part of the rotation, Adams helped provide veterinary services to pet owners in northern Saskatchewan communities where animal health care services are severely limited.
“It was great to learn about these communities and address their needs with animal health,” says Adams. “It’s something that I want to continue doing in the future.”
A few hours before graduating with her classmates at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Spring Convocation ceremony, Adams met with Marino and learned more about Sang’s life and involvement in animal advocacy.
“I was sad that I didn’t get to meet and know Sang in her lifetime. But knowing that she had organized this award to help veterinary students and animals shows how special a person she was,” says Adams.
Marino says that Adams’ obvious enthusiasm for animal advocacy and for helping others made her a perfect fit for this special award. Adams is now working as a clinical intern at a small animal hospital in Tanawha — a rural area in Queensland, Australia.
“She’s done a lot to promote the well-being of animals, and she’s also the kind of person who will do her best and excel wherever she decides to go,” says Marino.
“I couldn’t imagine a more deserving person to win this award. There’s no doubt it in my mind that if Pauline were to have selected a candidate, it would have been Sophie.”