OUR STORY

At age 10, Ronnen Harary was diagnosed with dysgraphia, a learning disability and gift that made it difficult for him to express himself clearly through written communication. This compelled him to work harder to keep up with his peers, instilling a drive that ultimately propelled him to great professional and financial success. 

Ronnen is best known as the co-founder and chairman of Spin Master Ltd., the children’s toy and entertainment company based in Toronto, Canada. His core belief is that every child, regardless of their circumstances, should have a chance to play, imagine and be inspired. Established in 2020, the Ronnen Harary Foundation is focused on creating scholarships to support Canadians with learning disabilities and gifts and fostering communities of arts and culture. 

Ronnen calls dysgraphia a “learning gift” because his brain is wired slightly differently and as a result gets some extra benefits. As someone who was privileged to have accommodations throughout University, he recognizes most people do not have that luxury. The Full Potential Scholarship was created to help young Canadians with their own learning gifts who struggle with school because they were not as fortunate as Ronnen. 

Our Mission

Learning disabilities and gifts are a lifelong challenge. However, with appropriate support and intervention, people with learning disabilities and gifts can achieve success in school, at work, in relationships, and in the community. Our goal is to celebrate their learning gifts while helping them realize their full potential.

OUR TEAM

  • Director, Canadian Initiatives

    Raphaela works as the Director, Canadian Initiatives for the Ronnen Harary Foundation. Raphaela’s role is focused on creating scholarships to support Canadians with learning disabilities while attempting to bridge the gap between early detection and intervention. Other projects include beautifying public space, fostering communities of arts and culture, and helping underprivileged people in Toronto, Canada.

    Prior to her work at the RH Foundation, Raphaela worked as the Director of Operations for Parade Agency, an experiential events and marketing agency based in Vancouver, Canada. Raphaela worked in the wedding and event industry for over 10 years.

    Raphaela currently lives in Toronto Ontario, where she enjoys spending time with her friends, and being in nature with her husband Jeff, and dog Murphy.

  • Director General

    Franck is the Director General of the Ronnen Harary Foundation. The foundation is focused on arts and culture, beautifying public spaces, helping kids / students with learning disabilities, assisting kids in distressed areas around the world, promoting child welfare, and assisting troubled youth in Israel, among its many social objectives. It is also committed to helping the Jewish community of Canada and, more generally, Israel.

    Prior to taking the helm of the Harary Foundation, Franck served as the Missions Director of CIJA, Canada’s umbrella Israel advocacy organization, for 15 years. In that role, Franck organized and led over 500 delegations of Canadian and American dignitaries, philanthropists, diplomats, and government officials to Israel, and weaved strong personal and professional relations with these individuals. Franck previously worked for the Canada-Israel Experience as coordinator for all Canadian young adult and teenager trips.

    Franck is chairman of the pre-military academy Mehina Tzion, and currently serves on the Boards of Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem and the Musrara school of Art and Society. He is also a reserve soldier in the IDF and lives in Kfar Adumim with his wife Karine and five children.

  • Educational Director/ Consultant

    Tinnelle works as an Educational Director and Consultant for Class In Session Inc and the Ronnen Harary Foundation. Tinnelle’s role provides elementary to university student-centered, differentiated learning opportunities. Tinnelle also believes quality teaching is critical to foster students' academic success and potential.

    Tinnelle began volunteering with young students in 1998 and in 2004 acquired an Early Childhood Education Diploma. Tinnelle went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts with Honours English Degree from York University, and a Bachelor of Education from Trent University. Tinnelle has taught as both a Secondary and Elementary school certified teacher, in the TDSB and TCDSB for almost 15 years. For over 8 years, Tinnelle has extensive educational experience supporting students as a Reading, ESL and English Specialist, while providing direct learning opportunities for students with Learning Disabilities, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, ADHD, Mild Autism, and Dual Language Learners (DLL).

    Tinnelle has considerable experience working with students in ethically and socially diverse environments. Tinnelle takes pride in possessing strong leadership skills to give back to communities and support students in reaching their fullest potential, despite the learning challenges and barriers they may face.

OUR BOARD

Ronnen Harary

Board Member

Ronnen Harary is a Co-Founder of Spin Master and a member of the company’s board of directors. Since the inception of the company in 1994, together with his two business partners, Ronnen has led and helped to establish Spin Master as a global leader in the toy, media and entertainment space.

Ronnen’s expertise and passion for children’s entertainment have led to the creation of award-winning programming and franchises including PAW Patrol, Bakugan, Rusty Rivets and Little Charmers, which have touched the lives of children in more than 160 countries. These wildly-popular series transcend cultural boundaries with universal characters and storylines that have travelled the globe, capturing the imagination and play of millions of kids around the world.

As the leader of Spin Master’s entertainment division, Ronnen plays an integral role in developing new entertainment properties, forging industry partnerships and building relationships with domestic and international broadcasters to bring the magic of Spin Master to kids through a variety of media channels. His latest venture is the company’s first foray into feature film.

In addition to overseeing the company’s entertainment division, licensing and digital studios, Ronnen is focused on unlocking ideas and fostering innovation throughout the organization, empowering employees to reach their full potential. He pushes boundaries and challenges teams to innovate and garners executive alignment to move the business forward. His commitment to developing people extends beyond Spin Master. Building on his own legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship, Ronnen lends his time and support to organizations like Futurepreneur, a national non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring and support tools to aspiring business owners.

Ronnen has a strong sense of social responsibility and is passionate about giving back to enrich the lives of children. In 2013, he founded the Toy Movement, a global initiative that provides toys to children in need, giving them the opportunity to experience the joy of play. Since its inception, Spin Master has led missions to over 10 countries, including Iraq, Israel, Mexico and South Africa, delivering more than 350,000 toys to disadvantaged or displaced children.

Since 2018, Ronnen Harary and his foundation have funded organizations in Canada and Israel, including the United Jewish Appeal, Camp Northland, the Musrara School of Art and Society in Jerusalem, and various organizations committed to supporting troubled youth. The foundation is currently developing two projects in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the landmark Galitzia Rooftop.

Ronnen is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, with a BA in Political Science.

  • Board Member

    Christina Miller brings more than twenty-five years of diversified experience in various leadership roles within the media, sports and entertainment business to her board position at Spin Master. Ms. Miller is the Chief Strategy Officer of Red Ventures, an American media company.

    Previously, she was the president of WarnerMedia’s Kids, Young Adults and Classic division where she was responsible for all aspects of the business including global oversight of content development, production and franchise management for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang and TCM.

    Prior to WarnerMedia, Ms. Miller was general manager of NBA Digital and senior vice president of Turner Sports Strategy/Marketing/Programming, where she led the day-to-day operations for the NBA Digital portfolio.

    Ms. Miller currently serves on a variety of other boards including Rebel Girls, a global multi-platform empowerment brand dedicated to helping raise the most inspired and confident generation of girls, and The Scratch Foundation, which supports an approach to coding that engages young people in thinking creatively.

  • Board Member

    After a 16-year career with Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., Jeremy retired as President & Chief Executive Officer in mid-2016. His previous roles included Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice-President, and Chief Operating Officer.

    From 1986 to 2000, Jeremy was a partner with the law firm Davies, Ward & Beck, specializing in corporate and commercial litigation.

    He received a Juris Doctorate degree from Queen's University in 1982 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1984. While at Queen's University, he was elected Rector of the University and served in this capacity from 1980-1982.

    He received a Master’s of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School in 1986, graduating as a Baker Scholar.

    In 2015 Jeremy proudly represented Canada and served as the Flag Bearer for the Canadian delegation at the European Maccabi Games in Berlin. In addition to Berlin, Jeremy has also represented Canada as a member of its golf team in Budapest, Hungary and on three occasions in the Maccabiah Games in Israel. 

    In addition to serving as a Director of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, Jeremy is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Diabetes Hope Foundation, the North York General Hospital Foundation and The Jeremy & Judith Freedman Family Foundation.

  • Board Member

    Craig is currently the VP of Business Development and Talent Sourcing at Spin Master, where he has held various leadership roles for the last 19 years. Spin Master is a leading global children’s entertainment company that has offices in 28 countries around the world.

    Craig grew up in South Africa and attended the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg where he majored in Finance and Marketing. He later moved to London, England where he began his career in the software and video game industry.

    Upon joining Spin Master in 2004, Craig relocated to Canada where he worked at the corporate headquarters in Toronto. He is now based out of the office in Los Angeles where he currently resides.

“You are not a drop in the ocean,
you are the entire ocean in a drop.”

— Rumi

CONTACT US

If you have any questions related to the scholarship application, please contact awards@univcan.ca.

If you have any other questions we haven’t yet answered, please email admin@fullpotentialscholarship.ca or get in touch with us here.