It was a typical morning on campus for Gerry Ste. Marie – a day much like many others when he’d stood in line at the cafeteria, pulled out his wallet and said to the cashier, “I’ll pay for hers too.”
The “she” in the story, standing in line behind Ste. Marie, is someone that he didn’t know. He’d actually never seen the young woman before and likely never would again. That didn’t matter to Ste. Marie, though – in fact, not knowing her was the whole point. Ste. Marie makes a fairly routine habit of treating strangers to breakfast or lunch – something he likes to do not for glory, but for the pure joy of giving.
“If you’ve never given out of the desire to simply give, you haven’t experienced one of the greatest feelings in life,” says Ste. Marie. “To contribute to someone who doesn’t know you, who has no way of paying you back or returning the favour, it fills you with happiness. I’ve felt it firsthand.”
Ste. Marie’s generosity doesn’t stop at the end of the cafeteria line. He’s been a contributor to the Supporting Our Students (SOS) fund for five years and sees his donations as an extension of his duties as a U of L employee.
“Caring for students is part of my job,” says Ste. Marie. “No matter what kind of work you do at the University, if you’re employed here you’re taking part in the education of the world’s future leaders. I’m not goingto improve the world by inventing or discovering anything, but I can improve the world by helping these students.”
His role as a materials handling specialist has Ste. Marie out and about all over campus every day. When he’s not buying meals for others, you’ll often find Ste. Marie chatting with students, telling jokes and generally lifting spirits. He makes a point of volunteering for at least one convocation ceremony every year, partly because he loves being there, and partly because, for Ste. Marie, it’s a full circle moment.
“You see all of these young adults with expressions of joy, hope and anticipation. It’s a spectacular thing to watch,” says Ste. Marie. “In that moment, when students are enjoying their success, I know I’ve played a role in it. I’ve helped someone achieve their goal and I feel great about it.”
Ste. Marie decided to put the money he was spending on an underused gym membership toward the SOS fund instead. Other than the satisfaction he feels knowing that his dollars are being better spent, Ste. Marie says his contributions, though small, have a big impact.
“It’s the same as when I deliver a package on campus,” says Ste. Marie. “It might not be a very big delivery but it’s important to someone all the same, so getting it to them makes a difference. That’s what SOS does. If I can make even a small difference to one person through contributing to SOS, I’m all for it."
