Remembering Premal
August 5, 2021
We share with heavy hearts that our dear friend and colleague, Premal Laxman, passed away on August 2nd. This is a tragic loss for his family, friends, and the many communities touched by his kind and caring presence. During his time as a Community Literacy Worker at Parkdale Project Read (PPR), Premal supported and encouraged many adult literacy learners to achieve their personal and educational goals. He was a patient listener and calm presence. He created meaningful and trusting relationships with students who often had difficult experiences in school. A former student of Premal’s said, “Whenever I walked through the door for Academic Upgrading class, Premal was always there to greet me with a smile. He made me feel welcome. He believed in me. He helped me believe in myself.” Premal had several roles during his 7+ years at PPR including Placement Student, Summer Student, Program Relief Worker, Collective Member and Academic Upgrading Program Instructor. And he excelled at all of them. In 2018, Premal transitioned to become a volunteer Board member. He took on leadership positions including our Board Secretary, and Chair of our Fundraising Committee. Premal brought such positive energy, joy and humor to all aspects of his work - whether it was creating fantastic outfits for special events, serving community meals, facilitating karaoke spotlights at our parties, belting out Mariah Carey songs with Beyonce dance moves, or expressing joyous freedom on the dance floor with everyone in our community - children, youth, adult learners, and our elders - we all loved Premal dearly and we benefited immensely from his love. Thank you, Premal. You are gone too soon. We honour your life well-lived, until we meet again. ♡ from the Parkdale Project Read Community A Tribute from Premal's Brother and Family:
Love was my brother Premal. His name was aptly picked by my mom to mean Love for All. His actions and presence through life would prove his name accurate to anyone who came in contact with him. It is with this we honour his memory with the launch by Parkdale Project Read of the Premal Laxman Love for All Fund. Love has many faces, and the stories that we heard after his passing painted a vivid picture of the impact of Premal’s love. Love is family in how he brought people together with food and laughter. Love is protection in stories shared of how he championed those who couldn’t fend for themselves. Love is passion in the work he did in mentoring the learners at Parkdale Project Read. Love is the grief you accept because of how deeply we loved him. Our brother’s loss left a chasm in our heart; but the world also lost an ardent ally, our Passionate Prince, a sincere soul dedicated to helping others through acts of love and respect. Our hope for this fund is to bring awareness to healthy eating, especially heart health, as well as serve as an opportunity to memorialize my brother who was the epitome of love. Bringing people together for food, fun and music (especially Beyonce and Mariah Carey which were his favourite) would bring back some of the joy lost from the passing of our baby bro. I would like to thank Parkdale Project Read for coordinating this fund and for keeping his memory alive. - Jitesh Laxman and Family
MEMORIAL FUND:
Parkdale Project Read collaborated with the Laxman Family to launch the Premal Laxman Love For All Fund on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2023. This project honours Premal’s life and acknowledges his contributions to the adult literacy community. All donations will directly benefit: Healthy Food Programming Healthy Communities workshops - we will learn how to make delicious and nutritious food on a budget, and develop cook books featuring recipes by adult literacy learners. An Annual Memorial Event and Award in Premal’s Memory An opportunity to gather as a community to celebrate Premal’s memory with food, music, fun, and the honouring of individual and collective achievements. How to donate: To make a donation towards the Premal Laxman Love For All Fund, please visit our Canada Helps page, or contact us for more information. |
