Making a real difference in the lives of children, youth and their families is a rewarding career choice for which Fanshawe College prepares students through the Child and Youth Care diploma program. I would like to share with you the story of one student in particular – Tina Squires.

Remembering Christine “Tina” Squires

1973-1994

As a student drawn to the Child and Youth Care program many years ago, Tina aspired to engage in career opportunities that would enable her to encourage at-risk children and youth to build on their strengths and to find their own voice. Tina experienced many hardships and traumatic experiences in her childhood, and she knew better than most the difference that can be made by a compassionate and skilled professional working with a child who needs help.

When, as a 20-year-old Fanshawe student, she died by suicide in 1994, it opened up a conversation about the issue of youth who age out of care but who still need guidance and support.

Those close to Tina, including friends and staff and London’s Teen Girls Home, knew how she struggled through difficult and often volatile family circumstances. Intergenerational trauma, abuse, family addiction issues and time “in care” both in Toronto and London, shaped her childhood experiences and formative years. Several months after testifying against her father at a preliminary hearing in 1993, the young woman’s suicide in April 1994 was seen as a direct result of her father’s horrific abuse.

Still today, some twenty-five years later, former classmates, friends, faculty and those in the field of care reflect on Tina’s resilience in pursuing her education in anticipation of a vocation that would provide personal fulfillment and hope. Tina’s story deserves a platform so others in the field of care can fully appreciate the significance of their work in positively affecting the optimal development of those at-risk.

To pay tribute to Tina’s courage and healing, we are encouraging others to donate to the Tina Squires Child and Youth Care Award. The award recognizes the potential of students enrolled in the child and youth care program, as well as signal the importance of ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. By acknowledging the attributes that Tina so poignantly demonstrated – resilience, kindness, hard work, and reaching out a helping hand – the award will be especially meaningful to those impacted by Tina’s short life. Now, Tina Squires likely would have been working in the field of child and youth care for well over three decades, and, through this award, future students can carry on her legacy.

Your generosity in supporting Tina’s award will also provide inspiration to future students of the Child and Youth Care program as they seek knowledge and experience to succeed. Five Child and Youth Care students have been selected to receive this award so far. Each student was selected by the faculty team, and each held many of Tina’s traits and aptitudes. Each student wrote a letter to thank the award contributors and explain what the award meant for them. It has truly made a different for each recipient thus far.

Making a gift towards the Tina Squires Child and Youth Care Award can be done on this page.

Thank you for considering this request. By honouring Tina, students in the Child and Youth Care program will be empowered with confidence and encouragement as they learn to help vulnerable kids develop skills for a bright and successful future.