Pictured here, the Carswell family (left to right, daughters Ruth and Diane, son Don, and Allan Carswell), accepting a musical triangle gift from the Regent Park School of Music in appreciation for their multi-year support.

History

The Carswell Family Foundation (CFF), a charitable foundation to support community programs in Healthcare and Education, was established in 2011 to organize the Carswell family philanthropic work under a single umbrella. Since then the CFF has worked with a diverse mix of charitable organizations to provide needed funding.

Pictured here, the Carswell family (left to right, daughters Ruth and Diane, son Don, and Allan Carswell), accepting a musical triangle gift from the Regent Park School of Music in appreciation for their multi-year support.

The CFF supports a wide range of activities: scholarships, bursaries, program delivery, research programs, specialized facilities, and equipment procurement. The CFF has continuing programs with a number of organizations including:
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York University, Faculty of Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD), as well as the Faculty of Science and the Lassonde School of Engineering
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Regent Park School of Music
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Alzheimer’s Society of Toronto
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Alzheimer’s Society of York Region
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Michael Garron Hospital (Formerly, Toronto East General Hospital)
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Woodgreen Foundation
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Royal Astronomical Society
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Canadian Association of Physics

Prior to the formation of CFF, the Carswell family established (in 2001) the 75-bed Helen Aird Carswell Complex Continuing Care Facility at the Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH) in recognition of the time spent by Helen Carswell in the 1950s as a student and a nurse at TEGH.

Dr Allan Carswell

Dr. Allan Carswell is the founder and president of the Carswell Family Foundation supporting community work in education and healthcare. He has served as a board member of several research institutes, charitable, and industrial corporations.

In 1974 Dr. Allan and Helen Carswell launched Optech Incorporated which grew to 300 employees serving global markets from its location in Toronto, Belgium, and the United States. In 2015 Optech was purchased by Teledyne Technologies Incorporated and continues today as Teledyne Optech, playing an ever-leading role in the international provision of advanced laser systems.

In 2007 Dr. Carswell served as NASA’s Co-Investigator, Meteorology, for the Phoenix mission. In recognition of their groundbreaking contribution to this mission, Allan along with his wife, Helen, and other members of the Phoenix mission team had their names engraved on a silicon mini-DVD on the Phoenix spacecraft remaining on the surface of Mars.
Dr. Carswell is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Order of Canada, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute.
Learn more about the Carswell’s story in Our Lingering Farewell, a tender narrative written with honesty, grace, and compassion. Proceeds will go to local Alzheimer’s programs as supported by CFF.