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The WorkAid Fund Bursary was created as a symbol of resilience, compassion, and community responsibility, born from the lived experiences of its founder, Angelo Procopio.

This bursary stands as a tribute to the struggles faced by families impacted by workplace injuries and aims to uplift the next generation through access to education.

At the age of just five years old, Angelo Procopio sustained a life-altering disability.

Navigating life with this condition shaped his empathy and advocacy for others, particularly for those whose injuries have been overlooked or misunderstood by systems like the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). But Angelo’s story doesn’t end there. Both ofhis parents hard working individuals trying to build a stable life in Ontario suffered severe workplace injuries that left them permanently disabled and financially vulnerable.

Like many Ontario families, the Procopio’s were forced to battle WSIB for recognition, fairness, and support. The very system designed to protect them instead became a source of struggle. During the prime years of their adult lives the time when most individuals earn, invest, and support their families. Angelo’s parents were instead robbed of the opportunity to work, save, and contribute to their children’s futures. The impact of this injustice was deeply felt when it came time for Angelo to pursue his education. Post-secondary learning, often taken for granted by others, was a luxury weighed down by financial burden and hardship.

That experience of watching his family endure pain, bureaucracy, and poverty instilled in Angelo a lifelong mission: to ensure that other children of injured workers do not suffer the same barriers to opportunity.

Now, through The WorkAid Fund, Angelo’s legacy lives on.