By Heather Strickey (BAH ’95), President of the Mount Saint Vincent Alumni Association
January 31, 2026 marks an important milestone in our history. It’s the 75th anniversary of the 1951 fire that destroyed the only building on campus at the time. From that loss, the Mount was rebuilt through resilience, generosity, and an unwavering belief in community.
As we mark Caritas Day, we’re reflecting on the people, often unsung, whose small acts of kindness made an extraordinary difference.
My “Caritas heroes” come from my second year at the Mount. I was incredibly proud to make the Women’s Varsity Basketball team, but financially, things were not easy. I didn’t have the means to live in residence or rent an apartment. Thankfully, my sister Sherry, who was raising young children with her husband in Dartmouth, opened her home to me. It wasn’t easy to have a teenage sister join an already-busy household, but she never hesitated.
Commuting to campus meant juggling textbooks, lunch, and basketball gear while navigating two or three buses each way often crowded and always exhausting. Through Sherry, I was introduced to two teachers, Marilyn and Lynn, who were commuting from Dartmouth to Halifax. Quietly and generously, they began giving me rides. They refused gas money from a very poor student and never made me feel like an inconvenience, even the day my bottle of perfume broke in their car and filled the drive with an unforgettable scent!
They were everyday people doing something extraordinary: making life manageable when it wasn’t easy.
Because of support like theirs, and my sister’s unwavering generosity, I was able to stay at the Mount, play the sport I loved, and live an amazing student life while at university. This is why I’ve chosen to leave a gift in my will to the Mount, to help future students access this remarkable university and to pay it forward, just as others once did for me.
On this Caritas Day, I invite fellow alumni to share their own Mount “hero” stories. Please share moments of kindness, courage, or compassion that made a difference. These are the stories that define us, sustain us, and carry the Mount forward.