Caroline Kosmas was an inspiration to everyone who met her. In her 26 years, she touched many lives and brightened the spirits of those around her. Despite an underprivileged youth, Caroline had already accomplished much in life. She had completed her medical degree, but had also selflessly donated her time, energy and resources to her local and global community.
Caroline spent much of her time supporting her local community. She was a tireless volunteer for SWITCH (Student Wellness Initiative Toward Community Health) . For three years, she organized the Annual Women’s Pamper Night, bringing beauty, joy and also a much-deserved break to the lives of women residing in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods. In the Pamper Night’s third year, well over 200 of these women were able to enjoy the event while their children were cared for by a small army of health science and other students.
In 2007, when a conference devoted to realizing Tommy Douglas’ dream of universal healthcare was held in Regina, Caroline’s passion for that dream led her to organize a large working group, find funding for a group of over 30 of her classmates to attend, and even put together a carpool to save on travel costs. However, the organizing didn’t stop there. She also contacted various speakers at the conference, including Allan Blakeney, Roy Romanow and Steven Lewis, arranging meetings during the lunch hour breaks to discuss how to better educate health science students about the Canadian health care system, so that they might become the leaders of tomorrow and put Tommy’s vision into action. These actions and her continued organizing eventually led to a new course offered by the University of Saskatchewan on community health care.
A few years ago, Caroline became friends with a student mother attending Nutana Collegiate. With friendship, guidance and support from Caroline, the young woman achieved academic success and went on to graduate as valedictorian of her class. Providing support, mentorship and education for young women are the key threads that connect Caroline’s tremendous spirit and the student parents of the Jacoby Centre at Nutana Collegiate.
After Caroline’s passing, her friends, family and colleagues raised donations for the Caroline Kosmas Fund. Income from the fund will support the Jacoby Centre at Nutana Collegiate, an organization which helps teen parents to complete their education, learn parenting skills and have an equal chance to share in the life of our community. Through this fund, Caroline’s spirit of community leadership, generosity and compassion will live on forever.