As active members of the Beausejour community in Manitoba, Clinton Orr and Jodi Ruta are continuing to bring new opportunities for growth and development to its citizens.
Clinton Orr is a Senior Wealth Advisor and Portfolio Manager with Canaccord Genuity Corp. Working out of the Winnipeg office of the nationwide firm, Orr helps clients achieve their financial goals. His wife Jodi Ruta runs her own dog training business called Furry Godmother. With a passion for animals and helping others, the couple are active philanthropists for many Manitoba-based causes. They have supported multiple charitable causes over the years, including the Canadian Cancer Society’s Run for the Cure, as well as the Dream Factory, a Manitoba based youth charity.
Back in 2020, Orr and Ruta started the ‘Pet Life Animal Fund’ through Charitable Impact. The initial impetus for the fund came many years before it was established when the couple adopted a dog named Bubba from a local rescue shelter back in 2012. Bubba soon became a very important member of their family, and after his passing in 2019, Orr and Ruta dedicated the fund in his honour.
When they adopted Bubba, they realised that many shelters didn’t have sufficient funding needed to cover medical costs. In many cases, animals that come into the shelter need veterinary care before they can be put up for adoption. The fund is structured to help Manitoba-based animal rescue centres cover the cost of both medical visits and resources so more animals can be taken care of and eventually find their permanent homes.
Orr and Ruta are always looking to help causes that are close to home, and their philanthropic endeavours extend beyond helping animals.
As advocates for growth and advancement in the Beausejour community, Orr and Ruta have further demonstrated this commitment with the establishment of a new scholarship fund in partnership with the Brokenhead River Community Foundation.
The “Clinton Orr & Jodi Ruta Community Builder Scholarship Fund” will select two graduating high school students to receive $4000 towards post-secondary funding. The fund is designed to reward students who have shown high levels of involvement in community service. This scholarship will be available for students who are graduating from the Ecole Edward Schreyer School. When choosing who will receive the $4000, candidates will be assessed based on the amount of volunteer hours they have completed as well as their academic achievements.
The goal of the scholarship is to encourage community involvement among the community’s youth. Clinton Orr shares, “By creating connections among community members starting at a young age, we believe that we can help create empathy and valuable skills in the next generation”.
Not only does the couple hope to aid in students’ post-secondary education, but they also want to help bolster community engagement creating a trickle-down effect that will create a more community-driven environment in Beausejour.
Orr and Ruta have gifted the Brokenhead River Community Foundation with over $200,000 to establish the endowment fund. “We look forward to seeing how this scholarship positively impacts our community,” says Orr. With this new initiative in place, Orr and Ruta’s impact will be seen in the Beausejour area for years to come.
