Legacy doesn’t always announce itself loudly. Sometimes, it lives in the quiet conversations held in a century home perched over the city of Saint John, New Brunswick. A place where the door is always open (sometimes literally, but always in spirit), where there is always a seat at the table, and beauty to be found in every corner. Extending far beyond their walls and into their community, Catherine Sidney and Bridget McGale have always made people feel seen. By opening their home, and their hearts, they’ve built their legacy in generosity—and a future for New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) learners.
For 33 years, Catherine walked the hallways of NBCC, first as an instructor, and later in leadership roles. Bridget, who is an award-winning graphic designer, supported the College behind the scenes, like hosting gatherings where all were invited. Each day, Catherine would visit classrooms and check in on learners. She knew how demanding studies can be, and how easily someone could slip away if finances or doubt crept in. Sometimes all it took was a kind word. Sometimes it took more.
That understanding led Catherine and Bridget to become NBCC Legacy Gift Donors. By arranging this planned donation with the College, they are humbled and grateful that their contribution will help future learners have the means to succeed. “The students I have met and taught over my career was the inspiration for our legacy gift,” Catherine shares. “They are the future. I have seen many students struggle with finances, and to help alleviate that burden, is important to us, and vital to their learning.”
Catherine and Bridget appear, at first, to be contrasts. Catherine is grounded and reserved, a builder in every sense. Whether she’s transforming an old barn into a warm living space, being part of developing NBCC’s Signature Learning Experience, or instilling confidence in people when they need it most. Bridget moves through the world, leading with her heart and intuition, bringing light to weighted shoulders—never forgetting a name, always finding and creating beauty.
To sit with them in the home Catherine renovated, surrounded by the art Bridget painted, is to witness harmony. It’s in the way they exchange sparkling glances, finish each other’s sentences, and move through stories with the ease of a long-practiced duet. Their once perceived contrast is jarringly dulled by their shared values: compassion, generosity, and belonging. Much like their joint mantra, “make the ordinary extraordinary,” they remind others that they, too, are anything but ordinary… they are extraordinary.
Everything is better because of an education
For decades, Catherine and Bridget have given their time generously, through volunteering, resources, or providing a tender ear to listen. “We always try to be in tune to people in what they would need and not to impose,” Bridget shares. “We’re here if you need us.”
That philosophy carried into Catherine’s work at NBCC, where she witnessed the transformative power of an education, especially for students who arrive carrying more than the weight of their backpacks. “A helping hand can make that small difference for someone,” shares Catherine. “I used to say that when somebody leaves us at 4:30 to go home, you don’t know what they experienced between then and the next morning.” Catherine recalls a student with four children, determined to finish her program, yet faced with unimaginable barriers. “Sometimes,” she says, “you just need that thousand dollars. Or someone to believe in you.” Catherine and Bridget have seen how a bursary can change not just an academic year, but a future. “I’ve been part of thousands of students’ lives over my career,” Catherine reflects. “I have seen the incredible impact that an education can have on a person. While also finding employment in the community.” That impact continues year after year, and thanks to donor support, more learners can remain focused on their academic goals. In 2025-26, a generous $976,567.73 in donor contributions supported 629 NBCC learners, reaching 56% of bursary applicants. This demonstrates both the impact of donor generosity and the continued financial pressures facing many students.
The choice to become an NBCC Legacy Gift Donor became a natural extension of these lived experiences.
For Catherine and Bridget, their legacy with NBCC ensures that long after the lights are off in their own home, students they may never meet will still find doors open. It means a student can pursue their educational goals without the burden of financial barriers. “If we could help somebody stay in school, that would be the biggest gift,” says Bridget. They share the belief that education strengthens decision-making, communities, and the economy itself. “Everything is better because of an education,” Catherine exclaims.
Their message is simple: supporting learners, whether through monetary means or in other ways, will mean a brighter future for all.