Alicia DeBoer applied for and received a grant from the charitable arm of her employer, The RBC Foundation, in recognition of her volunteerism.  This grant is open to all RBC employees who volunteer more than 40 hours per year and goes to the organization she volunteers with.  Alicia has asked that the $500 go to the AGO’s  Canadian Acquisition Fund.  On October 8 she presented the cheque to Andrew Hunter, Curator of Canadian Art.

Alicia Deboer presents curator Andrew Hunter with a cheque to help expand the AGO’s Canadian collection

Alicia volunteers with the Infoguides and has been at the gallery since February 2014.  She likes to help visitors find their way around but also finds it a nice way to learn about the gallery and meet people – she gets a special kick out of seeing children enjoying the gallery with their parents on Saturdays.     Prior to working at RBC in communications, Alicia took classes in art history where she developed her interest.  She moved to Toronto earlier this year and decided to volunteer at the AGO to get more involved in the life of her new hometown.  Her donation represents her small part to support up-and-coming Canadian artists, hopefully getting more of  them into the gallery.  Current favourite new artists include Ottawa painter Melanie Authtier; she’s also a fan of Kent Monkman (as seen in this photo) and is currently enjoying the Alex Colville exhibit, particularly the work “Low Tide”  (“A typical Canadian scene,” she remarks).  Alicia also does her part to bring new visitors into the gallery by bringing friends to First Thursdays. Many thanks Alicia!