Honouring a Colleague

Mel McGuigan served as the Fredericton Community Foundation’s first Executive Director and is credited with re-energizing the foundation, which was incorporated in 1956. Mel spent more than seven years serving as the foundation’s part-time leader, dedicating the rest of his time in the service of his community.

So when Mel decided it was time to retire, his friends, colleagues and family wanted to find a special way to recognize and commemorate his contribution. They found exactly what they were looking for with Supporting Your Community.

“Mel invested considerable energy in promoting the SYC program,” says Richard Clark, Chair of the Fredericton Community Foundation. “We thought that starting a fund within SYC would be an appropriate way to recognize Mel and support the program at the same time.”

“We always had a very good working relationship with the Fredericton Community Foundation and its management,” says BMO Nesbitt Burns advisor Leo Johnson, who helped established one of the first funds in the Supporting Your Community program in 2004. “We’ve been working together closely for several years and this is a great way to thank Mel for everything he’s done for the Foundation and the community.”

A colleague and some family members got together to establish The Mel McGuigan Administrative Fund, the income from which will be used to offset the Community Foundation’s annual operating costs – so Mel will continue to support the Foundation he helped build in perpetuity.

“We wanted to tell Mel how much we appreciated and respected him,” says Clark. “I know this fund will be added to over the years and will help the Foundation do even more for this community. This is just the beginning.”