Donor impact

One donor’s generosity helped shape a leader, advocate and mentor

A Marjorie Blankstein Indigenous Leadership Scholarship recipient shares how donor generosity helped fuel her career, her resilience and her commitment to helping others

Marjorie Blankstein
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
Marjorie Blankstein
Marjorie Blankstein
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes

When Dawn‑Marie Cederwall [BSW/20] reached out to the University of Manitoba, it was with a simple wish: to share an update and a message of gratitude. She knew that Marjorie, the donor behind the Blankstein Indigenous Leadership Scholarship, was nearing 100 years old and might not be able to access email easily, but she wanted her to know just how profoundly her generosity had shaped a life — and the lives of many others.

For Cederwall, a non-binary Métis person with kinship ties throughout the Red River settlement, St. Laurent, St. Boniface and Rat Portage, ON the path to becoming a social worker was not linear. She had once stepped away from school to become a kinship caregiver for two young relatives while navigating significant health challenges. But those experiences clarified her purpose: she wanted to help others find stability, hope and dignity because she had once been in their place. 

A student experience transformed by support

When she enrolled in the Inner-City Social Work Program (ICSWP) at UM, Cederwall found a learning environment that nurtured her potential. Small cohorts, supportive instructors and meaningful mentorship helped her flourish.  

“I had the opportunity to support individuals and groups in cases of human rights violations, co-organized rallies addressing a range of important issues and built meaningful connections with the communities I serve,” she says.

But like many low-income students and single parents, financial stress was a constant weight. The Marjorie Blankstein Indigenous Leadership Scholarship arrived unexpectedly. She didn’t even realize she had been nominated.  

I was a bit shocked that I was being recognized and honoured with a scholarship for leadership. Awards such as this are important because not all of us start out from the same place or have equal access to education.

Dawn‑Marie Cederwall

The support changed everything.

The scholarship lightened the financial pressures that had followed her throughout her studies, allowing her “to breathe and focus on studies” while graduating with less debt — a profound relief for someone balancing school, caregiving and healing. 

Leadership in action

After earning her BSW, Cederwall stepped into a remarkable and wide-ranging career. She contributed writing and research to the federal MMIWG2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan, work she describes as deeply humbling.

She finds the greatest meaning in direct engagement, supporting people facing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges. Her work involves supporting individuals and families to build capacity, change their circumstances, and improve their material conditions as well as helping people understand, navigate and challenge systems that they are affected by.  

“I have lived experience regarding homelessness and started out as a young single-parent, working my way out of the shelter and off the streets,” she says. “Since becoming a social worker, I have had many opportunities to go back and work for the very places I once had to access social support and was able to help other people with their journeys and goals.”

It is not an exaggeration to say that Marjorie Blankstein’s generosity became part of the fuel that enabled Cederwall to step fully into her work. 

Giving back, even while facing new challenges

In recent years, Cederwall has been navigating cancer — a diagnosis linked to the BRCA‑1 genetic mutation. Even through treatment, she has continued to give back in new ways: contributing to research, speaking at a Métis health summit in Ottawa and raising awareness about genetic testing and ovarian cancer in Indigenous communities.

She has also helped other students apply for awards and bursaries. “My advice is always to go for it. Put in your application. Speak from the heart. Get personal. Awards, scholarships and bursaries are there to support you, and you are capable and deserving.” 

A legacy that lives on

Awards like the Marjorie Blankstein Indigenous Leadership Scholarship matter. For Cederwall, the support not only enabled academic success, but helped break intergenerational barriers and model resilience for her daughter who is now starting her own post‑secondary journey.  

She hopes her story reminds donors just how far-reaching their generosity can be. 

Giving is powerful, and its impact can last far longer than any of us expect.

Dawn‑Marie Cederwall

By

Emily Janssens

Boilerplate: Fundraising

What does a future fuelled by generosity look like? It’s in the faces of new graduates with big ideas, in bold research solutions for Manitoba and the world, and in community initiatives coming to life in collaborative ways. Here, a legacy of philanthropy is shaping the leaders, innovators and change-makers of tomorrow. Learn how you can get involved.