About Bram & Bluma Appel

Lifelong supporters of arts and culture in Toronto

The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library is named for two lifelong supporters of the arts whose passion for equality helped to transform this city.

Born in Montreal in 1920, the youngest of four children of hard-working immigrant parents, Bluma Appel grew up with a strong awareness of social responsibility. She began volunteering as a child, and continued her charitable efforts throughout her career. As an adult living in Toronto, she was a dynamic force for almost 30 years, tireless in her advocacy for the arts, justice, compassion, accessibility and equal opportunity for all of Toronto's citizens.

Born in 1915, Bram (Abraham) Appel grew up on St. Urbain Street in Montreal. Never forgetting his humble beginnings, Bram was a successful entrepreneur who eschewed the limelight. A person of great integrity and intellect, Bram Appel shared his wife's vision and passion for improving the world and helping people.

Married for 67 years, the Appels were instrumental in funding many of Toronto's art programs and cultural centres, and in bringing awareness to social and medical causes close to their hearts.

In 1983, the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts named one of its theatres in Bluma's honour after she made a donation toward its renovation. She also made significant contributions to the boards she served on: the Canadian Opera Company, the Canadian Stage Company, Opera Atelier and the Royal Ontario Museum.

Equally significant were her many contributions to social causes. An early advocate of AIDS research, she was instrumental in founding CANFAR, the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research. During the SARS epidemic in 2003, concerned by the vulnerability of nurses in caring for infectious patients, she donated $350,000 to help the Faculty of Nursing establish a Clinical Simulation Learning Centre at the University of Toronto.

The Appels also made significant gifts to Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Mount Sinai Hospital, Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Conservatory of Music, McGill University's Faculty of Dentistry, Hincks-Dellcrest and the University Health Network. In addition, they made less public donations to cancer researchers, hospitals and enrichment programs for disadvantaged children in Ontario.

Though Bluma and Bram both passed away in 2007, their contributions to Toronto continue. In 2009, a $3 million gift from the Bluma Appel Community Trust in support of the Toronto Public Library Foundation's re:vitalize campaign memorializes their commitment to accessible culture and equality for all. In recognition of this unprecedented gift, the new 16,800 square foot state-of-the-art event space at the Toronto Reference Library is named the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library, a fitting tribute to these two great populists and lovers of ideas who lived out their core values through their philanthropy.

Bluma Appel Honours and Awards

• Member of the Order of Canada, 1988
• Order of Ontario, 1998
• Officer of the Order of Canada, 2001 (outstanding volunteer work on behalf of numerous cultural, social and health care organizations)
• Dora Mavor Moore Award, 2005
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Toronto, 2006
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Brock University, 2007
• The Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at Toronto Reference Library, June 2009