TIES ‘Visionary’ Founder Honoured for Leadership and Legacy

News

Determined, kind, and a visionary.

TIES (The Immigrant Education Society) is remembering and honouring a special person this week. Salim M. Sindhu, the founder and heart behind TIES.

"We’re dedicating this week in loving memory of Mr. Salim M. Sindhu,” TIES President & CEO Sally Zhao says.

“We honour his remarkable legacy and the lives forever changed through his vision.”

“His legacy endures in every success story and every life transformed.”

Humble Beginnings

Mr. Sindhu’s vision started in 1988, with the formation of Calgary Society for Immigrant Workers. In 1991, the society’s name was changed to Calgary Immigrant Development and Educational Advancement Society (Calgary IDEAS). It then became the Calgary Immigrant Educational Society (CIES), to reflect the extended reach and expertise of the organization. Finally, in 2019 the name changed again to The Immigrant Education Society, or TIES.

It started as a small volunteer-lead initiative, designed to educate and protect newcomer workers from being exploited.

Sindhu was its steward.

“In the beginning he was really in charge and on top of everything,” TIES Board Chair M’Liss Edwards recounts.

Edwards, along with her husband Ray Kristinson, were valued advisors from the start. They fondly remember Sindhu’s passion and drive.

“He was relentless in keeping the vision going,” Kristenson says. “He never gave up and never let anyone, or anything stand in his way.

They also recall Sindhu being great at getting the necessary funds and products needed for the organization. That included getting donated furniture to set up TIES’ Forest Lawn and Welcome Centre (Whitehorn) buildings.

“He managed to find furnishings all over the city,” Edwards laughs. “At first the Society had lots of mismatched desks and tables and chairs.” 

Mismatched or not — the results were amazing. With the money he saved on the small things, Sindhu was able to put those funds towards bigger, better things — including paying off the two buildings!

“As a result, we now own them (FL and WC) free and clear,” Edwards points out.

Who was Salim M. Sindhu

Salim M. Sindhu, who was born in Pakistan, was a civil engineer by profession. He immigrated to Canada in 1974.

Not only was Sindhu the Executive Director of TIES, but he also found time out to volunteer with many organizations.

He spoke to leaders, students, and all levels of government. He supervised studies, authored articles, and silently devoted an enormous part of his life to the betterment of others.

His numerous awards include; the Calgary Mayor’s Award; the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award; the Centennial Medal; the Star of the Millennium – Volunteer Award.

Big global acknowledgements — from such a small, local start.

“From the first little office to the offices over the drugstore in Forest Lawn, he welcomed people coming from all over the world,” Edwards remembers.

“Many came from places of real poverty and primitive settings. The city was scary, so we tried to be a place of welcome.”

Remembering a ‘Good Man’

Salim M. Sindhu s also remembered by many as a kind man and good boss.

Jana Ciobanu, TIES Senior Manager, Language Programs and Childminding, remembers meeting him right after her interview. She says she was surprised he knew exactly where she came from and could point to it on a map!

“I remember thinking, wow, he really knows his geography,” she says.

But what she still remembers to this day, was his kindness.

“Salim was a busy man, but one thing I will always remember about him is that no matter how busy he was, he would find time to come and sit with us, teachers, in the lunchroom. He would talk to us about everything and nothing.”

“Those little conversations are some of the things I remember most.”

Irina Copil, TIES Manager, EAL and Foundational Learning, has the same fond memories.

“Salim brought not only a wealth of knowledge and experience, but also a deep and genuine care for the organization he founded,” Copil says.

“Every Friday, he would visit our teachers’ office and share stories from his life, experiences, and lessons he had learned along the way. These informal conversations became something we valued greatly.” 

Another quality his staff valued was Sindhu’s openness to giving people a new start.

Racine Diallo, TIES Training Program Manager/Learning Support Specialist, was his assistant handy man back in the day.

“He was kind once he knew he could trust you,” Diallo says.

“He taught me how to fix most of the building issues before we got the budget to hire a building maintenance at our Forest Lawn location.”

Sindhu’s Vision 38 Years Later

TIES has come a long way since its first days.

The not-for-profit has grown from five volunteers in a single office to having 250+ staff and hundreds of volunteers in three locations.

It helps more than 3000 clients each day, seven-days-a-week, with programs in-house and online.

But its vision remains the same as Salim M. Sindhu intended. That vision is to empower newcomers and Canadians in need to build a strong foothold and and sense of belonging in their community.

“His vision and dedication laid the foundation for what is now TIES,” Zhao points out.

“Since 1988, his dream of empowering newcomers and Canadians in need has touched the lives of more than half a million people. Helping them find opportunity, dignity, and a place to belong. “