Raising funds and awareness Rana Bokhari - Class <strong>of</strong> 2012 Rana Bokhari, who admits to wearing her heart on her sleeve, has been transforming calamity into compassion through fundraising events from <strong>the</strong> time she entered law school in 2009. 57 ROBSON HALL ALUMNI REPORT
FEATURE Rana Bokhari was born and raised in Anola, Manitoba, where her Pakistani immigrant parents operated <strong>the</strong> largest poultry farm in <strong>the</strong> province. Everyone in <strong>the</strong> family had to help out—even Rana at age five was pulling her weight for two hours each morning, ga<strong>the</strong>ring eggs for market. Unfortunately, <strong>the</strong> farming venture ended abruptly. “We had to sell out in 2000,” says Rana. “We were forced out, so it wasn’t our choice.” The family returned to Pakistan in 2002, not returning to Canada until 2006. Those years in Pakistan were to forever alter Rana’s view <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world and her role in it. To say that Pakistan was a ‘culture shock’ borders on understatement. Besides <strong>the</strong> family’s coping not only with <strong>the</strong>ir fa<strong>the</strong>r’s poor health due to a series <strong>of</strong> strokes, but also financial issues that called on all family members to contribute however <strong>the</strong>y could, it was <strong>the</strong> stark reality <strong>of</strong> daily life in Pakistan that left an indelible memory. “In Pakistan you pay for everything, including medical costs and education. I couldn’t go to school <strong>the</strong>re because it was too expensive. There’s no help through grants or student loans. I wanted to help my family; we were in a tough situation. Before I left, I was working retail because I have a passion for clo<strong>the</strong>s. The only things I knew at that time were clo<strong>the</strong>s and farming.” Ra<strong>the</strong>r than being a source <strong>of</strong> discouragement to Rana, her family’s series <strong>of</strong> calamities had <strong>the</strong> opposite effect. It fueled her zeal for taking concrete action and set in motion her fundraising abilities, which have been recognized not only within Winnipeg, but also at a national level. To date, Rana has raised funds for <strong>the</strong> flood in Pakistan in 2010, <strong>the</strong> Haitian earthquake in 2009, <strong>the</strong> East Africa Famine, as well as local causes such as <strong>the</strong> Victoria Hospital, Winnipeg Harvest, and Pro Bono Students Canada. “As I recall, in my first year <strong>of</strong> law school, <strong>the</strong>re was one fundraiser each week for a different cause.” “When I started law school in 2009, <strong>the</strong>re was so much going on in <strong>the</strong> world and I had just come from a place <strong>of</strong> extreme poverty. When you’re on that side <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, those things affect you so much more. You see <strong>the</strong> devastation first hand. It changed my life and made me see that our issues here in Canada are so small by comparison.” “I feel privileged to be able to contribute. It was as if someone handed me a golden platter; I felt I had to do something with this opportunity.” For Rana, it is really about making o<strong>the</strong>rs aware. “It’s not about me or even <strong>the</strong> money we raise,” she says. “Our $10,000 isn’t going to make much <strong>of</strong> a difference. It’s when I see a group <strong>of</strong> students in <strong>the</strong> dead <strong>of</strong> winter outside tending a barbecue, or 2,000 people out at Assiniboine Park thinking about how o<strong>the</strong>r people are living, that’s when I feel good that everyone has opened <strong>the</strong>ir eyes about what’s happening in o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world.” So it all came down to a pivotal moment in 2009 when Rana decided that she was ei<strong>the</strong>r going to sit back and watch, or step up and lead. Fortunately for <strong>the</strong> roster <strong>of</strong> charitable organizations that have benefited from her remarkable efforts, she decided to lead. “When I was doing <strong>the</strong> Benefit Concert for East Africa at Assiniboine Park, people from Toronto and Vancouver were calling me. I know I can persuade people, and I think that will help me to be a good lawyer. People know I’m genuine.” UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, FACULTY OF LAW robsonhall.ca 58
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