The Hamilton Spectator Summer Camp Fund

The Hamilton Spectator Summer Camp Fund is used to provide camperships to children whose families could not otherwise afford the cost of summer camp.  Funds are distributed to day and overnight camps in our community

The Hamilton Spectator Summer Camp Fund is a partnership between Hamilton Community Foundation and The Hamilton Spectator.

Priorities & Criteria

To be eligible for funding the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Grant awards are provided for one or two week sessions only.

Applications will be assessed using the following criteria to determine the level of support:

 

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Jack A. Winser Fund

After attending Adelaide Hoodless Elementary School and Delta Collegiate, Jack Alfred Winser worked at this father’s firm, Quaker City Chemical, which supplied soaps to the textile and tanning industries. He retired from his position as president in the mid-1970′s.

Of his many hobbies, which ranged from collecting antique carriage clocks, watches and crystal, to creating rock gardens, reading mystery books, and traveling, Jack Winser’s primary passion was the railroad. Whether model or life size, trains fascinated him.

A friend, Murray McDiarmid, recalls Mr. Winser as generous in his friendships and as someone who really enjoyed meeting people. Jack’s wife and son predeceased him, and since his family had emigrated from England, there were no relatives here.

A supporter of several charities, Mr. Winser left the residue of his estate to the Foundation.

Excerpt from 1995-1996 Annual Report

 

James Sinclair Wilson

After 51 years behind the wheel, cab owner and driver James Sinclair Wilson had earned the affectionate title, “King of the Cabbies” bestowed by his peers in the industry. A regular in front of the then Royal Connaught Hotel, Mr. Wilson’ s Royal Taxi frequently chauffeured such athletes as Gordie Howe and Eric Lindros, singers Tony Bennett and The Four Seasons, as well as hundreds of Hamiltonians. The self made, self-educated driver had the gift of the gab and talked with ease to all of them. Daughter Lori Tomasik remembers the fierce pride he took in his cars. “He had the first air-conditioned cab in the city and the first one with a television set.” His keen interest in the community and world events made cover-to-cover reading of the newspaper a daily ritual. His bequest to the Foundation and the residue of his estate upon the death of his heirs, is consistent with the fact that he was a very giving man, confirms Ms. Tomasik.

Excerpt from 1995-1996 Annual Report

Albert & Betty Walters Fund

Albert Walters

Albert Walters

 

Betty Walters

Betty Walters

Albert Edward Walters was born in England in September, 1912 which, he often noted, was the same year that the Titanic went down.  His mother died when he was four years old, and circumstances were such that at age 8 he continued his schooling at Princess Alice Orphanage and School in Birmingham.

At age 16, he had the opportunity to immigrate either to Australia or Canada.  He chose Canada, and left two brothers and a sister behind in England.  Many of the immigrants arriving in Canada from England were hired out to local farmers and, in Hamilton, they were picked up at Gage House.  The local farmer who hired Albert did not give him a very welcome introduction to Canada.  He was introduced to the farmer’s family as “this is what we got” – an introduction that Albert never forgot.  However, in subsequent years, he worked at other farms where he was well treated and made lasting friendships.

These were depression years and Albert realized that he needed to do something to advance himself, so he enrolled in a correspondence course in electronics and at a later date he took a course in radio out of Toronto.

In 1937, Albert was introduced to Elizabeth (Betty) King by her brother, Alex.  This connection provided him with a “ready-made” family to help replace the siblings he had left behind in England.  Betty, who was born in Northern Ireland, had immigrated to Canada in 1926.

At the outbreak of WWII, Albert enlisted for service in the RCAF, having already been a member of the Reserve.  He served with the 119th Bomber Squadron of Hamilton.  He married Betty in 1939 and was posted first to Vancouver and then to P.E.I. and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia for the duration of the war.

Albert had always been interested in electronics of all kinds, so after the war he and Betty returned to Hamilton where he worked in the radio department of Westinghouse.  Then, in 1949, he decided to open up his own shop.  He and Betty established Dun-Ham Radio and Appliance Store in Dundas.  By the time they opened the store, Albert had already built his own television set, and their home was well equipped with many electrical systems.  A neighbor once observed that “next thing he will have is an electronic wheelbarrow!”

Albert and Betty operated their store very successfully until 1979 when they retired to their home in Dundas.  Betty died after a short illness in 1995 at age 81, and Albert died in 2009 at age 97.  The Albert and Betty Walters Fund has been established to provide access to education for persons in need of assistance, preferably in the Dundas area.

United Nations Association, Hamilton & District Bursary Award Fund

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Organization, the Hamilton & District Branch of the UN Association of Canada endowed an annual bursary for a McMaster University graduate student to undertake field training in remote areas of study among other cultures.

It is hoped that such direct experience will influence the recipients’ future commitment to proactive support of United Nations goals in their professional and person lives.

Excerpt from 1994-1995 Annual Report

Howard & Edna Tugman Memorial Fund

Howard Tugman was General Manager of a Studebaker dealership, Community Motors Ltd., until his retirement in 1961. The following year, he was appointed a Judge in the Hamilton Citizenship Court.

Mr. Tugman was particularly interested in disabled children; he raised funds through the Shriner’s Club and helped to establish the Cerebral Palsy Centre. He was also active in the Red Cross and the Hamilton Rotary Club, where he served as President.

His gift to the Foundation was made in memory of his late wife Edna Pearl (Patterson).

 Excerpt from 1989-1990 Annual Report

Mabel Beatrice Studd Fund

Music, books and protecting the environment topped the list of Mable Studd’s passions. She volunteered to be treasurer for the Bach Elgar Choir where she met William Malcolm who became her personal lawyer. “Mabel contributed to several organizations, she was a very shrewd investor, and she had a good sense of humour,” Mr. Malcolm recalled of the former secretary of the Union Drawn Steel and John Deere. Mabs, as she was known to family and friends, lived to be 82, in recent years in an apartment at First Place.

Staff in both the Royal Botanical Gardens and Hamilton Community Foundation offices remember Miss Studd as an attentive, loyal and generous donor who shunned public recognition for her contributions.

After her death in September 1997, the Foundation was notified of a bequest to be divided between the Community Fund (for general charitable purposes) and the Ray Lowes Environmental Fund (for the preservation and protection of the environment.)

Excerpt from 1997-1998 Annual Report

Marjorie Stewart Fund

Marjorie Stewart was a homemaker for most of her life, although she had a brief wartime career as a bookkeeper. She was a lifetime member of the Women’s Auxiliary of the St. Thomas (Anglican) Church and was active in the Order of the Eastern Star.

Excerpt from 1986-1987 Annual Report

Rosalynde Fuller Osborne Stearn Fund

One of Canada’s leading puppeteers in the 1920′s and 30′s, Rosalynde collected puppets from around the world and honed her skills as an apprentice with an accomplished puppet master in the United States. For many years, she entertained neighbourhood children in a studio and puppet stage which she built behind the family home of Turner Avenue.

Mrs. Stearn was also a noted golfer and talented watercolour artist. She was married to the late Clement H. Stearn, a classics professor at McMaster University, and died at the age of 101 after being in a coma for 11 years.

Excerpt from 1990-1991 Annual Report

Leanora M. Spicer Fund

Leonora Spicer’s bequests to the Hamilton Foundation, Salvation Army, Scott Mission, United Church (for medical missionary work) and Red Cross exemplify her lifelong concern for the disadvantaged.

Born on a farm near Lowville, she trained as a Registered Nurse at the Hamilton General Hospital and worked there until she married Harry S. Spicer, remembered as a successful Hamilton investment counsel.

Mrs. Spicer also supported the Royal Botanical Gardens creating arrangements for their sales and providing funds to develop a sheltered garden, known as “Spicer Court”, at the south entrance of the Headquarters.

Excerpt from 1989-1990 Annual Report