Significant donation boosts Seili Fund for Baltic Sea research from Ritva-Liisa Hirvikallio in Finland

Research on the Baltic Sea and archipelago has received a significant new donation. The Seili Fund of the Turku University Foundation announced in a statement that it has received a bequest from Ritva-Liisa Hirvikallio, a teacher from Pirkanmaa, who passed away in spring. Hirvikallio bequeathed a townhouse apartment in Ylöjärvi, valued at approximately €200,000. The property is currently on the market, and proceeds from the sale will go to the Seili Fund.

Throughout her career, Hirvikallio taught mathematical subjects at the Tampere Adult School. The archipelago held great significance for her. The funds generated by the Seili Fund support research on the Baltic Sea and the archipelago at the University of Turku, as well as university education and social impact initiatives. Before the bequest, the fund’s capital stood at over €30,000, accumulated through the sale of Seili postcards and fundraising efforts. This new donation significantly increases the value of the fund.

Originally from Turku, Ritva-Liisa Hirvikallio (née Lehtimäki) spent her childhood and youth summers in Naantali. She visited Seili Island at a young age, as a friend’s father researched the Archipelago Sea. Hirvikallio studied at the University of Turku. Her daughter, Helinä Hirvikallio, shared that even in her final years, trips to the archipelago and time spent at their summer home by the sea were very important to her mother.