Donor Spotlight The Cannone Family

DONOR SPOTLIGHT

The Cannone Family

Five years ago, Vito and Laura Cannone were looking for a school that would contribute to their children’s growth and development – a place where Olivia ’20 and Michael ’21 would, according to them, “learn the importance of success through hard work.” They had heard of HTS’s reputation for excellence in education, along with its beautiful facilities and family-centred approach. After a tour of the campus, they confidently enrolled their children.

Success through hard work is far more than just words for the Cannone family, whose family business, Global Precast Inc., is what it is today because of the determination, focus, grit and courage of their extended family. In her speech for the school’s 2018 Great Gatsby Gala, Helen Pereira-Raso, Head of School, spoke about meeting Vito: “I remember stories of family, of the immigrant journey of Vito’s parents, stories about facing adversity, struggle, courage, success and of the openness to possibilities. I remember sitting with Vito and saying that I hoped to one day meet his parents, as their legacy of dedication and commitment is an inspirational story.”

The Cannones beam with pride when they speak about their children and the experiences they have had at HTS. They talk about Olivia earning an Athletics Award and participating on the soccer team during her time in Senior School, and Michael playing on the basketball team. “We enjoyed watching the kids express their excitement with the academic, athletic and co-curricular programming.” Olivia is currently finishing her first year in kinesiology at the University of Toronto, and Michael is enjoying his last year at HTS, set to graduate in June.

Vito and Laura say they appreciate how “HTS is evolving to enable students to reach their goals. Students’ successes are a true reflection of the school’s excellence in providing an incredible experience for their learners.”

The Cannone family is a steadfast supporter of HTS; they have sponsored galas and golf tournaments and contributed yearly to the HTS Annual Fund. Additionally, Vito has volunteered his time and expertise as a member of the Board of Governor’s Construction and Site Committee. When asked what has inspired them to give so generously, Vito responds, “We wanted to do more for the school, from a place of gratitude for our children’s experiences. We also have witnessed how HTS is constantly evolving to support current and future students. It reminds me of the Nelson Mandela quote, ‘The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.’ For us, there is no better investment than in that of our future.”

Our community continues to thrive because of the legacy of generous donors like the Cannone family. Today, our campus sits on 37 acres nestled on the Oak Ridges Moraine, with facilities that have been gifted from families, students, staff, alumni and friends of HTS who all believed in shaping a spectacular school for current and future generations of students.

In recent years, we have been on a journey at HTS through our campaign, Inspiring Greatness: Designing the Future. Our goal, simply put, is to create a world-class learning

environment for our students. Global Precast Inc./Cannone family was one of the first transformational donors to the campaign. Without their commitment to donate precast architectural concrete, we would not have been able to begin the second phase of our build, nor would we be on target to open many new spaces in September 2021.

The Cannone family’s generous in-kind donation is the largest that the school has received for the Inspiring Greatness: Designing the Future campaign. We are humbled by their generosity, care and commitment to the school. Although Olivia and Michael will not have the opportunity to enjoy the new spaces as students, they will be able to experience them as alumni. For the Cannone family, the call to philanthropy comes from a deep desire to contribute to the well-being of others and create a legacy for future generations of their family to access. The Cannones encourage others to join them in building a strong foundation for all HTS students.

We look forward to unveiling many new spaces in September, which have been made possible by generous donors like the Cannone family. We invite the HTS community to join them in making a gift that allows our school to be a place of transformation – a place where families, like the Cannones, can send their children with confidence, hope and joy.

Learn more at hts.on.ca/campaign or by reaching out to Maria Locacciato, Executive Director of Community Relations and Development, by email at mlocacciato@hts.on.ca or by phone at 905-737-1114.

On behalf of the entire HTS community, thank you, Cannone family.