Kingston Whig Standard
Author of the article:
Meghan Balogh
Published Jul 14, 2026
Longtime United Way of KFL&A president and CEO Bhavana Varma, now retired, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
Kingston Whig Standard July 16
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KINGSTON — As a child growing up in India, Bhavana Varma remembers the day that she learned about poverty.
“I was born in India,” she said recently during an interview with the Whig-Standard. “My mom was a doctor, my dad was a pilot in the Air Force. I was very privileged where I grew up. I didn’t even know that poverty existed until I suddenly discovered it, and I was so shocked that I came running home and told my dad, ‘I can’t take this. We have to do something.’ ”
That discovery informed her life’s path in ways that she could have never foreseen, a path that led to her appointment as a Member of the Order of Canada on June 26.
The Governor General’s announcement stated that Varma, longtime CEO and president for the United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, has worked “to transform that organization into one of Canada’s top charities.”
“A role model, she has championed diversity, inclusion and collaboration throughout all her endeavours,” the announcement said.
As a child in India, helming a charitable organization in Canada was not on her list of life goals. But her father instilled in her a belief that one person could actually make a difference in people’s lives, in a world that seemed overwhelming.
“My dad said, ‘You can’t change the world, but every day, do something to help someone.’ And so I tried.”
As Varma completed university and got married, her husband fielded the idea of moving to Canada.
“I said no,” she laughed. “But we showed up anyway.”
Varma arrived in Hamilton, expecting the mountain vistas of British Columbia that she had seen in photographs.
“I thought that was what Canada was,” she said. “Initially I hated it. We were in Hamilton, in the middle of a recession.”
The couple ended up in St. Catherine’s, where Varma got a job “typing up receipts” for the local United Way.
“I became the director of finance and administration, and then the director of fundraising,” she said. “I just fell in love with it because, you know, that guilt I had felt as a kid just left me, and I felt like I was helping people.”
In 1999, when Kingston’s United Way approached Varma offering her a leadership role with them, during a time when they were struggling, Varma’s first reaction was to turn it down. But she asked her husband.
“All the good things in my life, I seem to have said no first,” she said. “I turned to my husband and I said, ‘What do I do now?’ And he said, ‘Well, you like helping people. Sounds like they need help.’ ”
And so they moved to Kingston.
She knew the United Way and how to fundraise, and the organization’s systems. But when she got to Kingston, she said it “was a mess.”
But with hard work, collaboration and Varma’s boundless commitment, the organization turned around to become one of the top United Ways in Canada.
During her more than two decades in Kingston, Varma has helped to raise millions of dollars for local families in need, bringing the United Way of KFL&A into one of the top 100 charities in Canada.
“It was a very rewarding ride, but it was all because we have such amazing volunteers and supporters,” Varma said. “I don’t think there’s any other community where United Way has raised gold year after year. When I arrived, they hadn’t raised gold for more than 10 years.”
Varma said that her admiration also lies with the community agencies who are supported by the United Way.
“I would have loved to be a social worker, but I don’t think I have the strength to do what they do every single day,” she said. “I have so much admiration for our agencies. I am in awe of them.”
She said that becoming a Member of the Order of Canada is not about her, but about the people around her.
“I feel grateful that people came together,” she said. “I was always a bossy person, even as a kid. I think they call it leadership now. But the fact that I was able to bring people together, and remind people how much we can do together, is what I’m grateful for.”
Varma is grateful for the Order of Canada appointment, but she hopes that the spotlight will not just shine on her, but on the issues she’s worked to champion, including substance use, mental illness, homelessness and food security.
“It breaks my heart that in a country like Canada, we have kids who are hungry, families who can’t make ends meet. It just doesn’t sound right. (Food security is) something we all need to fight for.”
Children hit home the issues that so many Canadians are facing today, Varma believes.
“It broke my heart when I walked into a shelter and I saw a baby seat there, 27 years ago,” she said. “It never occurred to me that there were kids who were homeless. Since then, I’ve always tried to think about how we can approach these issues differently.”
She is particularly proud of the way she has helped people to work together for a better good.
“I’m just so, so proud that communities across Canada come together, and I’m so proud, particularly of the Kingston region, and all the collaboration and efforts,” Varma said. “When I first came, I didn’t see as much collaboration, I didn’t see as much innovation. I didn’t see as much recognition of these issues.
“You know, 25 years in, I see that Kingston and area has turned a corner, that we acknowledge these issues, and we work together on them. I’m really proud to be a part of that.”
Varma hopes to inspire people to work together to address the biggest challenges facing Canadians.
“I hope this recognition helps to highlight some of the issues that communities face, and that people acknowledge that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. A little compassion and caring and support goes a long way.”