Why We Give: Caroline Jellinck

Our Why We Give series spotlights donors and why they support our non-profit organization.

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Caroline Jellinck grew up in a university town where her father worked as a biochemist, researcher and professor.

Each year, the university’s science departments opened their doors to the public. Faculty invited their friends and families to visit.

Caroline and her sisters looked forward to those exciting open houses, where they were free to explore the different laboratories. She remembers observing experiments in test tubes, cold rooms, and autoclaves. “It was all very hands-on work, and we were fascinated,” she says today.

Sometimes on weekends, their father brought them to his we lab while he worked. “We’d be at his feet, asking questions. We were interested in what he was doing, and he was pleased to share.”

She describes lively chats over the dinner table as she and her family debated and discussed science discoveries and why they were important.

During those conversations, she learned about things like the advancement in DNA research; the benefits of Vitamin C; and all about hormones.

“It was a huge privilege to grow up in our family,” Caroline says. “And it’s one of the reasons I give to Science World, as a way of passing that privilege on.”

Self-proclaimed Nerds

When Caroline and husband Gordon became parents to their two  boys, they used their Science World Membership frequently, visiting the dome often, especially during Gordon’s completion of his MBA. “When life got very busy!” Caroline laughs.

Today, Caroline, Gordon and adult son David, all describe themselves as “lifelong, self-proclaimed nerds.”

“How nerdy are we?” she quips. “We three visited CERN (a research organization in Geneva that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world) on vacation. And it we had a fabulous, fabulous day.”

Son Stephen opted out of the guided tour. Throughout school, Stephen preferred nerd-ing out on the humanities over sciences. Today, he works in Donor Services for a Vancouver-based non-profit.

“But Stephen always loved Science World,” says Caroline. When he was a young teenager, he shared an anecdote about its value that has stayed with Caroline ever since.

He’d observed, among his peers, a notable benefit for himself and others who’d been able to visit Science World regularly growing up.

He hypothesized that a lifetime of practice with hands-on interactive science within the galleries and the exhibits had helped provide him with the confidence to approach new ideas and complicated topics with an investigative spirit and creativity.

“And that's a gift to any person,” Caroline says, “to be able to unlock their curiosity and appetite for exploration. Science World gave this to Stephen. For me, that alone is worth every penny we’ve ever spent contributing to Science World.”

The Technology of Giving

In her professional life, Caroline has been a leader in Vancouver’s tech community and industry since the late 1990s.

In 2002, the late Ken Spencer, then Science World’s Chair and founding funder of Ken Spencer Science Park, asked Caroline to sit on Science World’s Board. She didn’t hesitate.

“Ken was inspirational,” she says with joy. “A force of nature with a steel will. It was his energy, intellect, sense of humour and tenacity that made him so effective. He had a huge impact on my life and, certainly, he had a huge impact on Science World.”

Today, Caroline sits on our Advisory Council and is also a member of The Atomic Circle, our recognition program for major donors who believe Science World is important to the future of the province.

She has the career of her dreams, as a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, working with some of the world’s largest technology companies. She helps them advance their leadership and succession practices, and helps leaders achieve their personal aspirations.

“Work satisfies my needs intellectually; it satisfies my head. My family fills my heart. My commitment to Science World has always filled my soul, because it's about giving back and spreading opportunity. These three things, head, heart, and soul, are so important, and so I’m grateful for Science World for helping me to feel fulfilled.”

Join Caroline and fund the future.

Give today.

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