The Family that Gives Together
The inspiration for the Arscott family scholarship was generations in the making.
Doug and Daan Arscott, BSc ’19 and MBA ’22, father and son, share the same values when it comes to charitable giving. Doug and his wife Joyce purposefully included their son in philanthropic decision-making, and this became more formalized when Doug and Joyce created a family foundation.
“My entire upbringing my parents were always talking about giving back, and we are very fortunate to be able to do that, so I think it’s our duty to find those opportunities,” says Daan. “The start of the family foundation was really this solidification...that this is a priority for the Arscott family.”
The family’s philanthropy is focused on issues they collectively care about, including education, health and the environment. But the idea for the Arscott scholarship at UVic germinated two generations earlier in the family, in the mind of Doug’s late father, Eric.
Eric’s story
Born in Jamaica, Eric immigrated to Canada in his twenties, with little to his name other than a strong ambition to make something of himself in what he saw as a land of opportunity. His formal education had ended at high school, but he was a lifelong learner who always believed in the power of education. Eric was well read and loved to travel, which led to passionate discussions on a variety of subjects. He was known to open these discussions by quipping, “I wonder what world problem we are going to solve today?”
The inspiration for setting up a university award came from one of Eric’s mentors in the insurance business. Throughout his life, this mentor supported young adults to further their education. When his mentor died, Eric was impressed by how many of these graduates attended his funeral. That’s when Eric resolved to create a similar legacy with his own savings.
The UVic connection
Eric’s grandson Daan is one of the first in his family to complete a university degree. As captain of the UVic Vikes men’s rowing team, Daan’s time at UVic centred around training, competition, friends and community.
Daan met his wife, Shayna Arscott (Plotnikoff), BEd ’19, shortly after completing his degree in geography, and later returned to UVic for his MBA. Ten years later, he maintains a deep connection to the rowing program and keeps in touch with rowing coach Aalbert Van Schothorst. Daan, Shayna, Doug and Joyce contribute to Vikes Giving Day and Vikes Championship Breakfast to help keep the program competitive and inclusive.
Grandpa’s legacy
Eric passed away in January of 2022 at the age of 94. While he was getting his affairs in order, he shared with Doug that his last wish was to create an Arscott family scholarship.
“I kept reassuring my dad we would organize things,” Doug says. “He asked me, ‘Can you imagine one day there’ll be all these Arscott scholars?’ I told him, ‘Dad, this is going to happen.’” Perhaps Eric was thinking back to his mentor’s funeral, imagining the line of graduates, supported by him, stretching far into the future.
Within two years of Eric’s death, the family had established the award at UVic. As with all foundation decisions, Doug, Joyce, Daan and Shayna all contributed to the terms of the award, aligning with Eric’s wishes. The Arscott Family Fund Scholarship is an endowed, renewable award that supports a student through each year of their degree, totaling $30,000. One requirement of the scholarship application is a 500-word essay on “the value of education.”
“This scholarship is Eric’s legacy,” says Doug. “He hoped that this award will encourage students with great aspirations to always think about the broader impact they can have on others. And who knows? Maybe they’ll solve a couple of the world’s problems along the way.”
—Sarah Tarnopolsky