Jeanne Scott Fund

 

ScottJeanne Scott’s great love of Hamilton and her desire to help others are nourished through her fund at Hamilton Community Foundation.

Jeanne Scott learned many lessons from her mentor, the late Dan Giannini; for her, giving back to your community has been the most rewarding.

“Hamilton has been wonderful to me,” says Jeanne. “Dan always told me if you’re fortunate, don’t forget to give back to the things that have meant something to you.”

For almost 50 years, Jeanne worked as Dan’s assistant in the financial services industry. As new immigrants from England, Jeanne’s and her husband’s early years in Canada were not easy, and the opportunity to cash in an unexpected $1,000 accumulated sick benefit seemed like a windfall.

“Dan convinced me to let him invest it,” says Jeanne. “I was reluctant. It was more money than I had ever had, but I had faith in him.” Dan began to show her how to manage her investments and, as a savvy businessperson in her own right, Jeanne followed his example and watched other advisors they worked with. She also began to follow Dan’s lead in donating to local charities – including HCF.

“I would attend meetings with him at the Foundation,” she says. “I liked what they were doing and the way they did it.
The fact you could support your interests really appealed to me.”

“I used to live in the North End,” she says, “and I loved the diversity – hearing ‘good morning’ in so many languages; it
reminded me of my travels through Europe and made me feel less homesick. Living in Hamilton, I was active in opera,
musical theatre, curling and my church. I made so many friends; the city really enabled me to do the things I loved.”

Jeanne established a designated fund at HCF with gifts of shares, supporting the Good Shepherd Centre where she is a long-time volunteer, and the HCF Community Fund, recognizing her great love of the city. As a classically trained singer and performer, she also supports a bursary award for performing arts students through her fund.

“I’m so happy to be able to give back to this city,” says Jeanne. “I never thought I’d be able to do what I have been able to accomplish – or that it would give me so much pleasure. It makes me feel that my purpose in life has been fulfilled.”

Excerpt from Fall 2008 Newsletter

Joan W. Rutherford Fund

Joan Rutherford

Born in Winnipeg and raised in Montreal, Joan Bann met her future husband, Gordon Rutherford, at McGill University in the 1930s. When Gordon accepted a position at Stelco in 1948, they moved to Hamilton and Joan quickly settled in, raising two children and volunteering in numerous organizations.

Their son Hugh Rutherford and daughter, Ann Goddard describe their mother as a selfless person, willing to help anyone at any time, and with a large circle of friends. “Mother loved people and was a real doer. She was one of the founders of Meals on Wheels, a fundraiser for Christ’s Church Cathedral and a Junior League member,” Hugh recalled. Owing to her flamboyant driving style, she earned the nickname “Leadfoot Joanie”. “Stop signs, stop light and speed limits were minor details, ” Hugh laughed. When her church had a fee-for-service fundraiser, she volunteered to be a driver!”.

Mrs. Rutherford remembered several charities in her will including the Foundation.

Excerpt from 1996-1997 Annual Report

Royal Canadian Humane Association

The Hamilton Community Foundation has been given the privilege of safeguarding the rich history and perpetuating the memory of the Royal Canadian Humane Association, a national organization established in Hamilton in 1894. Modeled on the Royal Humane Society of Great Britain, the RCHA’s mandate was to recognize and honour acts of heroism and bravery in the saving of human life. Over its 107-year history, the Association awarded more than 6,000 medals and citations to individuals across the country.

RCHA was founded by Adam Brown, often referred to as Hamilton’s “Grand Old Man”. He so loved and believed in the Association that he stayed on for 30 years and celebrated his 100th birthday while still in office. Through his efforts, Queen Victoria approved the use of the word “Royal” in the Association’s name. In addition to this distinction, RCHA medals were among very few decorations that could be worn on the armed forces uniform.

Initially, the RCHA had a much broader focus as it also worked toward the prevention of cruelty to children and animals. Gradually, these roles were assumed by the Children’s Aid Society and the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In time, the Association found itself competing with bravery awards bestowed by the Government of Canada – the Cross of Valour, Star of Courage and Medal of Bravery which are presented by the Governor-General at Rideau Hall – as well as the country’s police and fire departments. With a decline in nominees and criteria that were virtually the same as the government awards, RCHA decided that more than one national program was no longer needed.

“We did not have the prestige or the funds to collect information on nominees in the way the Governor General’s office can. We have never been a large organization and we’re volunteer-driven, so we can’t compete, “explained Sheila Scott, who joined the Association in 1975. “We had to find a way to leave a record of the Association’s work and a memorial to the people who started it.

In 2000, the board of governors decided to surrender the Association’s charter and transfer the remaining assets to the Hamilton Community Foundation. With the help of an advisory committee, the Foundation will honour RCHA’s original intent by making awards for outstanding acts of citizenship and bravery by citizens of Hamilton and Burlington.

Richard McLaren, great grandson of the first treasurer and fourth generation to serve on the board, said, “this is a good solution to a difficult situation. My family would have been pleased.”

Excerpt from the 2000-2001 Annual Report

Revolution Hope – The Claire Lewis Foundation

Claire Lewis

Claire Lewis

Hamilton Community Foundation is home to Revolution Hope, an endowment fund established by Brenda and John Lewis after the tragic death of their eleven-year-old daughter, Claire, in October 2001.

Claire was a talented and creative girl who preferred writing and drawing to television and video games. She enjoyed all kinds of music, played the piano, and as her father says, “loved all of God’s creatures with reckless abandon.”

Six of God’s creatures received the gift of health from Claire when her organs were donated to other children with terminal or serious medical conditions. Scores more will feel her spirit through grants from Revolution Hope, a fund focused on programs and activities to help young people, particularly children at risk, experience the arts.

“We know first-hand that children grow in self-esteem through participating in the artistic process,” say Brenda and John, “and we want to help other children experience that same joyful learning.”

Brenda and John Lewis, their older daughter Jesse, relatives, and friends began the Revolution Hope Fund at Hamilton Community Foundation with gifts made in Claire’s memory. The family’s goal is to raise $1 million in the fund; they welcome contributions from the community.

Excerpt from 2002-2003 Annual Report

Ethel H. Prouse

Ethel Harriett Prouse was the youngest of ten children in the Bluhm family of Sullivan Township (in Owen Sound area). She worked for Bell Telephone all her life, as did several of her relatives.

Ethel lived to the age of 94, surviving her husband, William Russell Prouse, by many years. As there were no children, Mrs. Prouse divided the residue of her estate equally among four charities, including the Foundation.

Excerpt from 1994-1995 Annual Report

Kathleen C. Nolan

Kathleen C. Nolan

Kathleen C. Nolan

Kay Nolan was born in Hamilton in 1915 to Mary Ann (O’Brien) and John J. Hunt, K.C. She was the cherished wife of Edward (Paddy) Nolan, D.F.M., C.A., dear mother of John, Dermot and Mary and fond grandmother of eight grandchildren.

She was a graduate of Loretto Academy, McMaster University and the Ontario College of Education who became a dedicated high school teacher and the first woman ever elected to Hamilton’s Catholic School Board to which she dedicated herself as a Trustee for almost 20 years. In 1988, she received the Award of Merit from the Ontario Separate School Trustees’ Association for outstanding service to Catholic Education.

Kay was a proud Hamiltonian whose life reflected her commitments to her family, faith and community and her abiding belief that “of those to whom much is given, much is expected”.

Upon her death in January 2007, her family chose to establish the Kathleen C. Nolan Education Fund in memory of her lifelong dedication to education as a teacher, school trustee, mother and grandmother. In particular, her appreciation of faith, language, music and art will be remembered in considering appropriate applications for the proceeds of the fund on an annual basis.

Donations to the Kathleen C. Nolan Education Fund

An online donation is one way to make a gift to the Kathleen C. Nolan Education Fund and is tax deductible.

Or you may contact the Hamilton Community Foundation directly to make a gift.

Excerpt from 2007-2008 Annual Report

Barbara & Mark Nimigan Fund

Five years ago, Mark Nimigan was nominated to serve on the Hamilton Community Foundation’s Board of Directors. Mr. Nimigan, an official examiner who provides verbatim court reporting services to the legal profession, says that although his knowledge of the Foundation’s role was vague at the time, he was persuaded to join because he’s passionate about Hamilton. “I was born and grew up here. This city has given me an opportunity work and for my wife and I to raise three fine children. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to give back to my community. Serving on the Grants Committee has been a real education. I’ve met terrific volunteers, learned about wonderful organizations which are trying to improve the community and I have seen what the Foundation can do to empower them.”

With his term on the Board nearing completion, Mr. Nimigan and his wife Barbara decided that they would like to continue their involvement by establishing a fund to benefit youth and the environment. “You don’t have to give a lot,” he says. “It’s about giving what you can.” “It’s a natural extension of my volunteer work with young people from the city’s north end,” Mark adds. “I wanted my relationship with the Foundation to have a financial implication. I’m a great believer in the work that they do and I trust their judgment”.

Through their fund, the Nimigans can ensure that their commitment to addressing youth and environmental issues continues. “It’s a way to have a positive influence long after we’re gone.

Excerpt from 1999-2000 Annual Report

Florence Emma Nichols

Florence Nichols earned a B.A. from McMaster University in 1934 and began a career in education that spanned nearly four decades, as a teacher of French and physical education. Before retiring, she worked with the Etobicoke Board of Education to establish its French Immersion program. A niece, Cecilia Nichols, describes her aunt as a remarkable, Christian woman. “She was upright, old fashioned, competent and very much in touch with the world. You definitely behaved yourself around her.” Miss Nichols was a Waterdown resident who led an active social life and enjoyed hosting tea parties in the spring on her four acre field of trilliums. “My aunt was active to the very end. She traveled until well into her 80s. She belonged to a French club, taught Sunday school, did most of her own gardening and attended St. James United Church.” A supporter of several charities in her will, Miss Nichols remembered the Foundation with a bequest.

Excerpt from 1996-1997 Annual Report

 

Thérèse and Kent Newcomb

 

Newcombs“Look at this picture,” says Thérèse Newcomb, pointing to a drawing of a woman pulling a rainbow of multi-coloured yarn through a loom to create a beautifully intricate flower-filled world. “It struck me that this is exactly what the community foundation is good at doing – weaving the community together.”

Thanks to Thérèse and Kent Newcomb, HCF this year began to weave a community-wide response to a childhood tragedy: bullying. Statistics show that 25% of high school students are bullied, and the effects of repeated abuse are debilitating and far-reaching. At a time of life that should be light and carefree, children who are bullied experience terror and anguish. The ramifications are life-long.

The Newcombs were appalled by ever-increasing media reports of bullying. They decided they couldn’t stand by on the sideline without trying to do something about it. They brought their concern to the community foundation.

“Bullying is a terrible problem,” says Kent, ”but we felt the tide was running on this issue and the community was ready to work together on it. With a modest investment from us and leadership from Hamilton Community Foundation, Hamilton may be able to take a lead role in alleviating bullying. We hope it might become a model for the rest of the country.”

The Foundation began by collecting information about the extent of bullying in local schools, the responses that have been designed to date, and what research can tell us about the best ways to address the problem. “The Foundation is becoming an important repository of information and intelligence on community issues and this is a good example of that approach,” Kent says. He is a former chairman of Hamilton Community Foundation and a founding board member of HCF’s national membership organization, Community Foundations of Canada. “The community foundation movement is becoming very good at convening – bringing groups and individuals together to tackle issues of common concern. HCF and other community foundations are developing a reputation for innovation on social issues.”

Hamilton’s anti-bullying initiative, now a Roundtable of more than 25 organizations including the two school boards, youth-serving organizations, the police, parents, media representatives, children’s aid societies, public health, McMaster University, the Community Child Abuse Council, and other important groups, is designing a community-wide strategy to reduce and prevent bullying.

“We’re encouraged that so many organizations in the community are coming together to combat this problem and create a safe environment for children,” says Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board Superintendent, Jim Webberley.

The Roundtable is looking carefully at programs in North America and Europe that have documented success, and in 2003 it will propose a multi-faceted, multi-year plan for Hamilton and seek funding support from a variety of sources.
Donna Fraser-Simmons, a parent and member of the Balaclava School Council, says she is involved in the Roundtable “because I’ve seen how damaging bullying is. This initiative is giving us hope that Hamilton’s future – its kids – will be able to achieve their personal best in a safe and nurturing environment in which the bullying has no power and bystanders have become interveners.”

Thérèse and Kent Newcomb share that vision. “We may not cure the problem completely,” they say, “but by working together as a community, we can certainly make a decided difference.”

Excerpt from 2002-2003 Annual Report

Marjorie & Bill Nelson Fund

Bill and Marjorie Nelson

Marjorie and Bill Nelson are the type of people that any community would be proud to claim as citizens. Actively engaged in an incredible scope of community projects, clubs, good works and institutions, this Burlington couple is also disarmingly modest about their generosity.

Yet the impact of the Nelsons’ donations can be felt throughout Hamilton and Burlington. And the cornerstone of their philanthropy is Hamilton Community Foundation.

Bill, a retired chartered accountant and business owner, was chair of HCF’s Board in 1990-91 and saw first-hand how the Foundation benefits all sectors of the community. He also knows the Foundation needs to be properly resourced in order to do its work well. Since the late 1980s, the Nelsons have been building their Administration Endowment Fund, which now totals $100,000, to help cover the costs of operating HCF.

“We’re happy to see some administration costs get covered through our endowment, because it means other monies can go to their many community projects,” Bill says.

Marjorie and Bill also enjoy the convenience of a Flow-Through Fund at HCF, which they started six years ago to benefit the wide range of local charities they like to support, including Bill’s Rotary Club, their own church, United Way, McMaster University, Mohawk College, Royal Botanical Gardens, YMCA, YWCA, local hospitals, the arts and a number of social service organizations.

The flow-through Fund allows a donor to receive a full charitable tax receipt for the fair market value of an asset in the year it’s given to the Foundation. The Nelsons’ gift of marketable securities gave them a significant tax saving. Each year they select the charities to support and send a list to the Foundation for distribution of the funds.

Marjorie and Bill remain firm fans of the community foundation movement. “HCF really is a people’s Foundation,” Bill comments. “There are no strings attached, no commercial or political aspects to the Foundation. Smaller donations can make big things happen in the community – there’s a place for everyone at HCF.”

Excerpt from 2004-2005 Annual Report