“The (Parminder and Kamaljit) Parhars’ community commitment is exceptional,” says SFU Chancellor Anne Giardini. “They truly represent SFU’s vision of community engagement and we are so pleased to recognize their many contributions toward making SFU a welcoming and sustaining place for us all.”
By Diane Luckow
BURNABY – Parminder and Kamaljit Parhar, owners of the popular Renaissance coffee shops at SFU’s Burnaby campus, have been awarded the 2015 Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award.
“The Parhars’ community commitment is exceptional,” says SFU Chancellor Anne Giardini. “They truly represent SFU’s vision of community engagement and we are so pleased to recognize their many contributions toward making SFU a welcoming and sustaining place for us all.”
Parminder has been smiling and welcoming customers by name since opening the family’s first coffee shop in the AQ in 1996. His goal: to develop a sense of community on campus.
“We live in a superstore community these days, where customers come in and go out and the relationship ends,” says Parminder.
“We can’t change the world, but we can change our little world. I wanted to build this little community where everybody knows us and we know them.”
John Grant, director, alumni relations and executive director, SFU Alumni Association, says Parminder has achieved his goal.
“Parminder is an SFU icon amongst many of our alumni,” he says. “When they recount their memories, he is frequently mentioned as an individual who made a true difference in their university experience.”
Couple establishes SFU bursary and endowment
In 2007 the Parhars took their commitment further, establishing the Renaissance Coffee Community Service Bursary, now worth more than $61,000, which last year supported two $1,000 student bursaries.
In 2009, the couple went further still, establishing the Parminder Parhar Endowment Trust to support students who have good grades and are also engaged in the community.
The Parhars hope to grow the fund to $1 million in their lifetime.
Figuring out how to accomplish such a goal wasn’t easy, but Parminder eventually decided to regard the fund as an “employee” and pay into it on a biweekly basis. Each year, those payments total $25,000, and the fund is now worth more than $150,000.
They also augment their own contributions with special events. On National Philanthropic Day, for example, they hold a coffee morning where customers pay for their coffee by donation, which goes directly to the trust fund.
The couple is currently in the midst of planning yet another new award to help support more SFU students.
Over the years, the Parhars acquired the Subway and Jugo Juice franchises on campus and recently began managing the Simon C convenience store. Their prices, says Parminder, are not based on traditional margins, but on what students can afford.
The Parhars hope that their community spirit is catching.
“Universities are where initiatives start,” says Parminder. “My sincere hope is that students and others will see what we are doing, then copy it in their own lives.”
