The Poy family makes $1 million gift to TMU’s The Image Centre

A $1 million gift from The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy and Dr. Neville Poy will support a youth outreach program and new positions for emerging scholars at Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) The Image Centre (IMC).

“We appreciate what The Image Centre has brought to the Toronto community in its first 10 years,” said Vivienne and Neville. “We are passionate about photography, which has been an important part of our lives. We’ve always believed that education and opportunity are the keys to success for young people. This is a wonderful chance for us to support young people interested in photography in advancing their own careers.” 

The donation will bolster the IMC’s Youth in Focus community outreach program which was established in 2012. Now named the Poy Family Youth in Focus program, the initiative reaches young people from underrepresented communities in the GTA. Customized group tours of exhibitions and collections, followed by creative workshops, teach critical skills to promising young artists so they can express themselves through photography, and also engage in knowledge-sharing, exchanging their own insights and experiences with their peers. The Poys’ gift will allow for the continuation and expansion of this essential program, which promotes greater inclusivity, equity and accessibility in a museum context.

Deeply committed to providing opportunities for future generations, the Poy family has been a long-time supporter of Covenant House Toronto, which connects youth with services and education — and is one of the IMC’s most recent Youth in Focus partner organizations. Through this collaborative partnership, the IMC ran a series of photography and zine-making workshops engaging youth at Covenant House with creative strategies of storytelling. These workshops were incorporated into Covenant House’s Rights of Passage program, which aims to build life skills for youth living in a transitional shelter to prepare them for independent living.

“The Poys have been great friends to us and long-time advocates for what we do,” said Paul Roth, Director of the IMC. “We are so happy to have their support for our Youth in Focus program and for creating new work opportunities at The Image Centre.”

The gift will also provide exceptional new opportunities for recent graduates of TMU. The newly created Poy Family Advanced Internships will give promising TMU graduates a head start on their careers in museums and archives through two-year internships. The interns will gain valuable experience in the IMC’s collections and exhibitions departments — a significant early career opportunity in the academic photography world.

The Honourable Dr. Vivienne Poy was the first Asian Canadian to be appointed to the Senate where, over 14 years, she focused on gender issues, multiculturalism, immigration and human rights, and proposed the successful motion to recognize May as Asian Heritage Month across Canada. Dr. Neville Poy practiced plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Scarborough Hospital, and directed the hospital’s world-class burn unit, the first in Canada. Neville is an officer of the Order of Canada, a recognition bestowed for his groundbreaking medical achievements. Following Neville’s retirement in 1995, he became a fine art photographer, and his work has appeared in numerous exhibits, publications and presentations. In fall 2022, the couple received honorary doctorates from TMU.